“Nobody ever became a writer just by wanting to be one. If you have anything to say, anything you feel nobody has ever said before, you have got to feel it so desperately that you will find some way to say it that nobody has ever found before, so that the thing you have to say and the way of saying it blend as one matter—as indissolubly as if they were conceived together. Let me preach again for a moment: I mean that what you have felt and thought will by itself invent a new style, so that when people talk about style they are always a little astonished at the newness of it, because they think that it is only style that they are talking about, when what they are talking about is the attempt to express a new idea with such force that it will have the originality of the thought” (20 October 1936; Life in Letters, pp. 313-314).

• Post A Comment!

Comments

Jan. 24, 2006 - Fitzgerald

Posted by heartofvirtue

Thank you for sharing such a neat quote!! I'm from the Christian self-publishing yahoo group and saw your post there first.... It's very encouraging! I'm also a writer and often feel that so many of my ideas and thoughts have already been expressed. I like what Fitzgerald said: "I mean that what you have felt and thought will by itself invent a new style..." Excellent! Thank you for sharing!! I wish you the best with your own writing!!

Smiling Because He Lives,
Myklin
www.heartofvirtue.com - Virtuous woman Bible study materials for Christian girls, mentors and parents

• Permanent Link

Feb. 1, 2006 - Book recommendation from previous blog entry

Posted by Lisa B.

I finally received my copy of The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing that you recommended in your Dec. 16 blog entry, and I cannot stop reading this book! It is extremely difficult to put down, even when I should be making dinner or taking a shower. This is exactly what I needed to begin pursuing my dream of freelance writing. Thanks so much, Mary Jo!

• Permanent Link