I’ve been reading a number of books about writing this summer, and I keep coming across quotes from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, so I decided to read the book. Here’s one of my favorite Golden Lines from The Writing Life:
“One of the few things I know about writing is this:
Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now….Something more will arise for later, something better.” (p. 78)
This became so real to me a month ago. I was writing a profile of Allison Whittenberg, but I wanted to save some of it for a piece I wanted to work on later about her writing process. The profile wasn’t working because I was hoarding, holding back. In the end, I had to “spend it all,” and I’m glad did.
“One of the few things I know about writing is this:
Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now….Something more will arise for later, something better.” (p. 78)
This became so real to me a month ago. I was writing a profile of Allison Whittenberg, but I wanted to save some of it for a piece I wanted to work on later about her writing process. The profile wasn’t working because I was hoarding, holding back. In the end, I had to “spend it all,” and I’m glad did.
