“Writing a book is like driving a car at night; you can only see to the end of your headlights … but you can make the whole trip that way.” – E. L. Doctorow
For twenty years, I’ve had the joyful job of helping people get their ideas and experiences out of their head and into the world in the shape of books, presentations and e-products.
I tell them, “Books in your head and on your computer help no one.”
Have you ever thought of it that way?
If you have insights, experience and experitse that would benefit others; it’s selfish to keep it to yourself.
When you think about it that way; writing is a way of contributing your gift to the world.
It’s a way of saying, “This is what I’ve learned, what I’ve seen. I’m sharing it with you as an offering.
I’m not saying it’s perfect. I’m not saying ‘I know and you don’t’ … and I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life.”
That’s arrogance.
All I’m saying is, “Here are my stories and lessons-learned and I hope they might be of interest and/or benefit to you.”
Yet, many people who want to write start out with passion and determination … and somewhere along the way, life intervenes and they get distracted.
They put their book aside as they deal with other priorities.
And they may never get back to their book.
Maybe what they need are daily sources of inspiration they keep “in sight, in mind” … so no matter how busy, tired or overwhelmed they are … they write a page a day.
That’s all.
A page.
Because, if you write a page a day … in six months, you’ll have a 180 page book.
That’s a perfect size for today’s e-readers.
Sound good? If so, print out these quotes and post them where you’ll see them.
Post them on your refrigerator, laptop or bathroom mirror.
Promise yourself you’ll sit down somewhere, sometime each day .. and write a page.
You can do that.
And when you finish your book and publish it (the joy of e-publishing these days is there are NO barriers to the kingdom; you hold the keys to your author destiny) … you will experience one of the most tangible satisfactions in your life.
You’ll be able to tell yourself, “I did it.”
I did what I set out to do.
Because, you see, getting a quality book out in the world is a legacy that can never be taken away from you.
Long after you’re gone, your book will still be out there.
Still influencing people.
Still sharing a message that might make someon’es day a little better.
Still offering insights that may improve someone’s life – make them a better parent, coach or leader.
You will never, ever regret publishing a quality book.
You will only regret not doing it.
So, start today. When and where are you going to sit down and write your page?
1. “If you wait for inspiration to write; you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” – Dan Poynter
2. When asked the secret to finishing his 500 page masterpiece The Power of One, author Bryce Courtenay growled, “Bum glue!”
3. “If my doctor told me I had only 6 months to live, I’d type a little faster.” – Isaac Asimov
4. “Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it.” – Madeleine L’Engle
5. “I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9 am every morning.” – Peter DeVries
6. “I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.” – Steve Martin
7. “I made a startling discovery. Time spent writing = output of work. Amazing.” – Ann Pachett
8. “Ever tried and failed? No matter. Try again and fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
9. “It’s never too late – in fiction or in life – to revise.” – Nancy Thayer
10. “If you want to write, you can. Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent. Who am I? What right have I to speak? Who will listen to me? You are a human being with a unique story to tell. You have every right.” – Richard Rhodes
11. “The way to resume is to resume. It is the only way. To resume.” – Gertrude Stein
12. “Best advice on writing I’ve ever received. Finish.” – Peter Mayle
13. “When I am writing, I am doing the thing I was meant to do.” – Anne Sexton
14. “You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something. It doesnt matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.” – Leonard Bernstein
15. “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged. I had pieces that were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avioding sending them out.” – Erica Jong
16. “Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into action and put your heart on the line.” – Lakers basketball coach Phil Jackson
17. “The faster I write, the better my output. If I’m going slow, I’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.” – Raymond Chandler
18. “When you speak, your words echo across the room. When you write, your words echo across the ages.” – Chicken Soup for the Writers Soul author Bud Gardner
19. “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” – Carl Sandburg
20. “I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” – Pearl S. Buck
January 7, 2010 at 4:49 am
Great quotes and words to live by. I’ve written 7 adventure travel books and am now creating my own line of mini reads. Love the creative process. Joei Carlton Hossack at http://www.joeicarlton.com
January 7, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Your blog gets better every time I read it (mostly because I’m “getting it” a little more each time!) Thanks for the post, Sam!
January 29, 2010 at 3:40 am
Those quotes were GREAT, and they really inspired me!. I am a first time writer, I have four books I am writing, been wanted to write since I was a child.Reading these quotes should be inspiring to everyone.
February 10, 2010 at 6:52 am
Between me and my wife we would have to say this is an genuinely informative post that needs mentioning elsewhere. This is for 2 types of people: current writers who are considering a new position, and people trying to pick to become a writer.
February 10, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
I’m glad these quotes are inspiring you to make your book a reality. Finishing a quality book will catalyze things that exceed your fondest hopes and dreams.
Here’s another quote to inspire you to write on.
“Write while the heat is in you.” – Henry David Thoreau
I call that “jot the thought when it’s hot.”
When you do, writing isn’t work, it’s fun. The thoughts will flow out of your head so fast, your fingers won’t be able to keep up.
February 16, 2010 at 8:20 am
motivational speakerslike Zig Ziglar say!
March 11, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I was catching up on your blog as a way of procrastinating working on my second book! Thanks for the kick in the pants with these quotes.
July 13, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Dear Sam:
This is a great post. Thank you.
But, in the time since you created this list, I wonder if you might have discovered some great quotes to update the list?
Best wishes–
Roger
July 22, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I take every opportunity to reread these quotes. I love them. When I last wrote I was working on my 2nd mini. I’m just about finished my 3rd mini and have a great idea for my 4th.
Thanks for keeping me inspired.
Joei Carlton Hossack at http://www.joeicarlton.com
August 31, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for the quotes, they’re really inspirational.
January 11, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Jot the thought when it’s hot…..that’s about the best reminder I’ve heard to date about making a note of something before it’s forgotten. Keep up the great work.
Since I like to keep everyone up-to-date on my work. My 3rd mini read is out (Morocco – Without a Pit to Hiss In) and selling well and a 4th is being edited.
Joei Carlton Hossack http://www.joeicarlton.com
March 10, 2011 at 6:59 am
I just finished my book, completely edited and everything. It’s DONE, quite literally fifteen minutes ago. These quotes were still inspiring and motivating me to jot down all my ideas no matter how lame or how unlikely they’ll develop into something more. They also motivated me to start working on the sequel again. 🙂 Thanks!
June 16, 2011 at 4:56 am
love the quotes.
June 24, 2011 at 10:15 am
I really need help to finish writing my book. I speak French and very good English but I would need some push to move on. I am stocked right now and also need an editor and publisher. i
I have so many ideas but how to put them down together to make a living. I need to work hard to finish writing this wonderful book on my conversion into christianity.
June 28, 2011 at 3:50 pm
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August 23, 2011 at 5:02 am
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20 Inspiring Quotes To Help You Finish Writing Your Book . . . This Year « Sam Horn – POP! Create the Perfect Pitch, Title and Tagline for Anything…
September 7, 2011 at 2:51 pm
I never give up sending out my stories – finally one is being published November 1, 2011 in Chicken Soup for the Soul – O Canada edition. I immediately sent them 3 more stories.
October 22, 2011 at 4:41 am
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November 14, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Awesome quotes. I have been waiting for the right time and the right surroundings to write. But recently I made a monumental discovery about myself; the right time to write has been a preconceived self sabotaging idea I adopted watching fairytale movies. I have to write today no matter what. Today is the perfect day, and I must feel that way every single day until I am done.
December 14, 2011 at 10:26 pm
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January 22, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Hey Everyone –
thanks for taking the time to comment on these quotes that keep us getting those words out of our head and into the world – where they can make a positive difference for others and a positive living for us.
Thought you might like a few favorite quotes on writing to update this list.
1. To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.” – Truman Capote
2. It’s just a matter of writing the kind of book I enjoy reading. Something better be happening at the beinning, and then on every page after, or i get irritated.” – Jonathan Franzen
3. “The faster I write, the better my outpout. If I’m going slow, i’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.” – Raymond Chandler
4. “The world belongs to the energetic.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
And if you like quotes in general – in particular, quotes for TODAY’s top icons, influencers and innovators, check out my latest book, Current Quotes at http://www.samhorn.com/shop/current_quotes_sam_horn.htm
One of my favorites is from Dr. Phil who says, “Are you doing what you’re doing today because you want to and it works – or because it was what you were doing yesterday?”
Here’s to getting a few pages produced today … and the next day … and the next .. until it becomes a habit and the days, weeks, months go by … and we’ve got a book.
Write on.
January 22, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Aha – here are a few more fantastic ones to get those creative juices flowing …
1. There’s nothing like a moonlight stroll to give you ideas.” – J. K. Rowling
2. “Writing for me is simply thinking through my fingers.” – Isaac Asimov
3. “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs
4. “The one unforgivable sin is to be boring.” Christopher Hitchens
5. “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t.” – Anne Lamott
6. “Dream . . . it gives the heavens something to work with.” – Trish Whynot
7. “Creativity involves putting your imagination to work. In a sense, innovation is applied imagination.” Sir Ken Robinson
8. “Our life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
9. “You’re a success if you get up in the morning and go to bed at night and in between you do what you want to do.” – Bob Dylan
10. “Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.” – Rita Mae Brown
11. “Whenever I have knocked, a door has opened. Whenever I have wandered, a path has appeared.” – Alice Walker
12. . “My creativity comes in spurts.” – Barbra Streisand
13. “Insight is not a light bulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out.” – Malcolm Gladwell
14. “Life, for some, is always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.” – Paulo Coelho
15. “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” –Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon’s character) in the movie We Bought A Zoo
16. “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can transform one million realities.”
– Maya Angelou
17. “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” – Gary Player
18. “Our voice is in the first draft – yet too often we edit it out.” – Sam Horn, author of POP!, Tongue Fu! and the upcoming Eyebrow Test and SerenDestiny
April 1, 2016 at 3:38 am
I’m so glad I popped by here. Very inspirational blog. Everything happens for a reason. This is definitely going into my favourites! All the best!
April 3, 2012 at 6:16 am
I need help with finishing my book…
April 11, 2012 at 10:06 am
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April 24, 2012 at 9:45 pm
My fave is the one about ‘seeing to it that you are inspired at that time’!
July 16, 2012 at 2:40 am
who wrote “it’s easy to write, all you need to do is slit your wrists and bleed?
September 12, 2012 at 6:46 am
I think you mean this one, perhaps? “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
― Ernest Hemingway
July 25, 2012 at 6:35 am
this is encouraging, my stories are inspired by everything around me, a friends comment, a lovely robin sitting on the psot outside or a realy wicked storm outside, or quite possibly a lone transtation mentioned by passing tourists in a forigen country. whatever you choose my friends keep writing because while others use thier voice to speak, we writiers use the words on paper to convey our messages. and truthfully all writers do need are twenty seconds of insane courage. and do keep writing chioma mbagwu at age sixteen i told others i was writing a story (Disasterous) and you know what they told me, how can you find something to write about, i say writers are born, some are made, and at the end writers know more than they had when they first started because though they create the story they are also the ones who learn from it the most.
January 15, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Reblogged this on Self-Publish 101.
January 15, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Reblogged this on Hey Sweetheart, Get Me Rewrite!.
February 7, 2013 at 10:06 pm
I LOVE rereading my notes. My last note said I had just finished Mini Read number 3 called Down on the Farm. Now, just a few months later I’ve finished Mini Read number 4 – still needs a new cover – and working on Mini Read number 5. AND Mini Read (1) How I Lost 3 Pounds in 30 Years of dieting without going hungry (2) Morocco – Without a Pit to Hiss In and (3) Down on the Farm have been turned into E-Books available for the Kindle……I’ve come a long way baby and there’s still a long way to go.
March 18, 2013 at 11:53 pm
Mini Read number 4 (about Greece) is now finished and tomorrow I’ll be discussing the title with my writing group. The final editing will be done by another writer before turning it into a Mini Read and an e-book for the Kindle AND, since Mini Read number 5 is already in the works – the world is my oyster….another pearl coming up. My FANTASTIC cover designer (Brion Sausser of BookCreatives.com is awaiting my instructions.
April 8, 2013 at 1:22 pm
The Writer’s Whip is a Facebook community of creative writers sharing motivation, inspiration and useful information to help with the writing process. Our goal is to help each other stay focused and productive! Become a fan and share your writing goals or be inspired by our memes, quotes, opportunities, tips, articles and information. https://www.facebook.com/TheWritersWhip
April 13, 2013 at 12:56 am
I have not checked in here for some time since I thought it
was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it friend 🙂
May 10, 2013 at 8:32 am
Twitter Grader or Klout are generally examples of tools
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If someone gets busted for having a fake account it is usually
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May 23, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Your words of wisdom always seem to come at the right time. My 4th Mini Read – Stuck in Greece – now has a cover – check my website for a good laugh – and it will be available as a print and as e-book for the Kindle within 2 weeks and I’ve already started Mini Read number 5…… No rest for the wicked, they say.
June 2, 2013 at 8:30 pm
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June 28, 2013 at 2:48 pm
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July 11, 2013 at 1:41 am
Touche. Great arguments. Keep up the good spirit.
July 14, 2013 at 4:52 pm
Reblogged this on Foil & Phaser.
July 16, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Everything touched my heart…. They are all spiritual…. God bless the depositors I am relieved of my worries…… ……Mine will be soon
July 16, 2013 at 5:04 pm
I’m just finishing up my 7th e-book – Doesn’t even have a name yet – and will be designing my own cover and having a GREAT time doing it. My 6 other e-books are now available on Amazon and I’m LOVING the attention. Joei at http://www.joeicarlton.com. One step at a time and the trip of 1,000 steps is completed.
October 12, 2013 at 5:47 pm
i love to be an authour.
January 12, 2014 at 5:41 am
WOW such a great and inspiring quotes. Im 16 and someday I wanna be a motivational book writer. I’ve realised that I have the talent to be one. I hope one day I will ! 🙂
February 13, 2014 at 1:37 pm
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September 1, 2014 at 12:33 am
Reblogged this on One Voice and One life.
September 30, 2014 at 11:04 pm
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December 1, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Wow such amazing quotes,i have a dream of becoming a famous writer but i don’t know how to start,do i need to make a true story or create a story? please advise me
January 8, 2015 at 5:55 am
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January 11, 2015 at 3:04 am
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January 15, 2015 at 1:50 pm
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