Day 84: Inspiration from Toni Morrison

Image courtesy of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards site.

People say to write about what you know… I’m here to tell you, no one wants to read that, ’cause you don’t know anything… So write about something you don’t know. And don’t be scared, ever. ~ Toni Morrison, USA Today

We find comfort in writing about the things we are most comfortable withthose things we find most familiar.  While there’s nothing wrong with it, one has to wonderwhere’s the challenge?  Where’s the risk?  In the long term, what’s the growth potential for you as a writer?  What will the audience truly learn or gain from you in the process? 

It’s so easy to get caught up into the formulas for writing, especially if they’ve brought you a fair amount of success.  It’s safer that way, isn’t it?  But as creative individualswe thrive when we’re challenged.  We thrive when we’re put to the test.  We thrive when we let go of our inhibitions, take on the unknown, and, without over-thinking, simply create that which fuels our souls. 

You learn more about yourself, others, and the world when you step outside of the realm you call home.  Get unsafe.  Move beyond the known.  Embrace the unknown.  Be inspired by the unknown. There’s no telling what magnificence may come about.

Day 81: Inspirational Quotes (from Writers)

Inspiration can come from so many places.  Today, I’m featuring some quotes from writers whose work has inspired and moved me so over the years.  What are some quotes from your favorite writers?
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” ~ Maya Angelou
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” ~ Maya Angelou
Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” ~ Zora Neale Hurston
Nothing that God ever made is the same thing to more than one person. That is natural.” ~ Zora Neale Hurston
Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.” ~ James Baldwin 
The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.” ~ James Baldwin 
No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” ~ Alice Walker
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~ Alice Walker
An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.” ~ Langston Hughes
7 x 7 + love = An amount Infinitely above: 7 x 7 – love.” ~ Langston Hughes
 
If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ~ Toni Morrison
   
Writing is really a way of thinking–not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet.” ~ Toni Morrison