Sunday Quote:Gretzky, Being Surprisingly Relevant to the Writing Life

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
--Wayne Gretzky


So what chances will you take this week? What shots will you venture?

Sunday quote:Bradbury and Being "Drunk on Writing"

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~Ray Bradbury

This quote is such a great reminder that for the writer, it has to be about the magic of the process, those sublime "flow" moments that create a high that keeps us coming back time and again. Though not every moment--maybe not even most of them--can transport us, those that do serve as a reminder of why we do this in the first place.

When writing becomes about the external realities--the lust for honors, bestsellerdom, and huge advances--we risk losing the magic and being utterly consumed.

Sunday quote-Churchill on Writing a Book

“Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.”
- Winston Churchill

I think I've reached the "master" point with my current secret writing project, which is waking me up at all hours and chasing me to the keyboard. But maybe that's just the secret lover phase, because I absolutely can't wait to wrap myself back in imagination's arm.

At what stage are you in your current writing process? "Dating an idea," as Joni likes to call it, or in a death match to see which of the two of your survives the process?

Sunday Quote:Money in Writing

“I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes...”
-- Philip Dusenberry

I know there are people out there who choose what to write based on its profitability, but I've rarely seen that strategy work well for anyone. The best writers are motivated by passion. Not to say judicious marketing decisions aren't helpful, but readers absolutely seem to know when someone's faking it.