Old Writers Never Die, They Just Keep Revising the Ending

So how, exactly does one have fun with quotes?
Glad you asked! If you’re like me, you start by exchanging quotes on a daily basis with your best bud. But not just any quotes, writing quotes, to give each other inspiration. And then you pick the two best quotes of the week to share with the rest of the world - because ... why not? :-D

Though you might find it hard to believe, Jamie and I do not co-ordinate our daily quotes. I swear! It’s just a happy co-incidence that they seem to go together, if not totally similar. Or maybe it’s just because we’re working with the same topic. ;-)

For Jamie’s quote this week I picked the one that seemed to stick best in my mind:

You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won't be able to take a break from being a writer...
- Stephen Leigh

I think anyone who’s ever been bitten by the writing bug will agree with this. Sometimes you can get frustrated or just tired and you set the writing aside for a while - taking a break, as it were. But then you’ll catch yourself thinking about the way the words flow when you’re reading a particularly well-written novel. Or maybe you’re enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend and as you glance out the window of the coffee shop you see an interaction between a young man and a woman and it gives you the idea for a story. Or maybe you’re getting a breath of fresh air in the garden and you start thinking, what if?

Just because you aren’t writing things down doesn’t mean you’ve stopped being a writer. You’re still going to be thinking like a writer and you’re still going to see things the way a writer does. And no matter how badly you need the break in the first place, somehow it’ll never be for as long as you think it’ll be.

My quote this week is also short and sweet:

Writing is like breathing, it's possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.
― Julia Cameron

At first glance, my quote seems to contradict Jamie’s, but if you think about it, it’s like two sides of a coin. Writing can be like breathing, but sometimes we need to take that break so we don’t start hyperventilating. We should write no matter what, but even when we take a break we’re still thinking like writers or at least thinking about writing.

So follow the above advice, but don’t be afraid to take a break when you need to. You won’t stop being a writer if you do.