I read a lot, though not as much as I would like. As I read, I tend to mark passages or quotes I like or speak to me in some way.
This entry is dedicated to such quotes. These are all from “The Posthumous Pickle” by Ken Gordon in the September/October 2006 issue of Poets & Writers.
“Discarded pages mark the physical dimensions of a writer’s labor — you know, how many shots it took to get a paragraph right.”
~Don DeLillo
“You must make the wastebasket your best friend. Fill it up with your words, then empty it and fill it up again.”
~Isaac Bashevis Singer
“The whole joy of writing comes from the opportunity to go over it and make it good, one way or another.”
~James Salter
All of these, in one way or another, speak to the necessity of revision. Personally, I prefer the writing to the rewriting, to the revising. Of my personal work.
To end, Gordon says:
“…[W]e should be willing to learn a thing or two from the rough work of genius.”
Not necessarily our own. The article deals with posthumous publication of writers’ and artists’ notes and sketches, rough drafts, and things most likely never meant for public viewing.
I cringe to think that someone someday might look at mine.
Filed under: writing
