Robin Brande, Author, Dog Lover, Coffee and Chocolate Addict. Living an Interesting Life.

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Why you will or won’t succeed

The Oregon novel workshop wrapped up tonight around 11:00. We’re all overtired and oversugared, and also supremely motivated.

Here are our take-away quotes to paste above our computers.

From Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: Evict that which does not serve the goal of excellence.

That means getting enough sleep to write well (or accomplish whatever it is you claim you want to do. This is put up or shut up). It means not answering the door to your mother-in-law if it’s your writing time. It means not drinking at night if it makes you too groggy in the morning, and not watching Texas Ranch House or American Inventor (I will not speak of Lost, which we all know is in a separate category, and will be going off for the summer soon anyway, so just back off) if you haven’t finished your word count for the day.

From golfing legend Ben Hogan: Every day that you don’t practice is another day that it will take you to get good.

That goes for more than writing, obviously. It means changing how you behave so you can have a happy marriage or a nicer relationship with your kids or thinner thighs–we all have our lists. Think of what it is you keep saying you want to do, or stop doing, and just get on with it already. Remember, now is always the second-best time to start.

As for me, I’m going to bed now so I can get up early tomorrow and practice some more writing. It’s only fun if you get better.

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Posted on Tuesday, May 9th, 2006 at 1:51 am under Life, Writing . Subscribe to responses: RSS 2.0 Comment Feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Why you will or won’t succeed”

  1. bj Says:
    May 9th, 2006 at 9:48 pm

    I know this has NOTHING to do with this post, but the quote, from someone’s signature line on a geeky maillist I get, was so priceless I had to pass it on. Now do these two sentences of dialog paint you an incredible picture, and give you incredible insight into both characters, or what??? I just wonder which book it’s from (or maybe movie? . . . nah, too good for the movies)

    Zoe: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say
    about killing?
    Book: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject
    of kneecaps.