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Friday, December 11, 2009

Three Coherent Quotes

I'm holed up at Casa Vortex with a nasty case of Strep. Thankfully, all I can expose you to is cyber-breath. The debilitating body aches are gone; the bowling ball that was my head yesterday has returned to normal. Hooray for coherent thought.

One of my ambitious holiday gift projects involves writerly sayings. My search for inspiration online netted me more than I'll ever use, but I found a quote that could not have been more perfect for me:

"Without a pen I feel naked, but it's writing that is my exhibitionism." ~Carrie Latet

If we were to meet at, say, a holiday party, I'd be the one blending into the curtains at the room's periphery. I'd stare out the window and you'd think me aloof. Really, I'd be be so painfully trapped in my introversion, I'd long for the pate to sprout lips and start a conversation so I wouldn't have to. Speak about Desmond Morris's fifth stage of intimacy? I'd rather skewer my eyeballs with a fireplace poker. Write about it? Now you're talking. Maybe I view the playground of the mind as sacred, something that loses its magic when drizzled out past the tongue.

Here's another quote that made me stop and think:

"No man should ever publish a book until he has first read it to a woman." ~Van Wyck Brooks
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Mr. Brooks was a historian, biographer and American literary critic just after the turn of the twentieth century. He received a Pulitzer in 1937 for his novel, The Flowering of New England. This quote makes me want to read something he wrote, even a snippet. Do his words slant romantic? Is there a subtle rawness only a woman could appreciate?
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Lastly, I found this one:
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"One writes to make a home for oneself, on paper, in time, in other's minds." ~Alfred Kazin
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What a perfectly-wrapped gift this quote is for me. It is as if the writer must ask for permission to enter a reader's mind, dance that awkward moment of first introductions and engage in a subtle give and take until residence is established. And, there is the time thing. The ultimate time travel for a writer. The days and months I spend in creation answered months, even years, later in the reader's hours of experience.
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Do you have a favorite quote? Share it, and tell us why it speaks to you.

10 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Sorry you are under the weather. I am also painfully shy at gatherings. Most of the time.

Never a day without a line, is my favorite writerly quote.

Marilyn Brant said...

Hope you feel better soon, L.A. I hadn't seen the Carrie Latet quote before today, but I can see why it speaks to you. I like it as well. I have lots of favorites. In the state of revision (where I seem to spend endless amounts of time), I always think of this one: "Countless, unseen detals are often the only difference between mediocre and magnificent." Gives me something to strive for :).

Gail Fuller said...

Great quotes! Thanks for sharing.

Here's one you may have seen before: 'If you can dream it, you can do it.' Walt Disney.

Sending healthy vibes for your speedy recovery.

All the best,
Gail

Maureen McGowan said...

Love those quotes. Especially the one about writing being a form of exhibitionism. I'd never thought of that before.

As for Mr. Brooks... I'd like to think that he recognized the strength women have to recognize and appreciate and empathize with the emotions and motivations of others. I think most women are more likely to spot flat writing or false-feeling motivations than most men are.

Robin said...

Hope you feel better soon! Strep throat is so yuck. Sending virtual chicken noodle soup your way! :)

I don't think I've got one favorite quote, because I'm really bad about remembering them, but I'd never seen these quotes before and really, really liked them. (You and I could stand in the corner together.)

Barbara Martin said...

Too bad you're under the weather. Try a shot of brandy with hot water and lemon just before bed. Don't go near any horses with strep as they can catch it which is known as Strangles in vet circles.

The quotes were great.

Katie Reus said...

Sorry you're not feeling well :( I'm sending healing vibes your way! I have so many favorite quotes, especially from Maya Angelou.

This is a particular fave: 'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.'

the walking man said...

I never met an introvert that didn;t have something extremely interesting to say.

TWM

L.A. Mitchell said...

@Charles-so true is that quote. We can't call ourselves writers unless we attack it every day.

@Marilyn-I already think your writing is magnificent ;)

@Gail-So awesome to see you here :) Thanks for the well-wishes. That Disney guy really sums it up, doesn't he?

@Maureen-I love your take on Mr. Brooks, and I think you're right. I'd love to hear a guy's take on it.

@Robin-Isn't that funny...you don't come off as introverted. Writing must be your exhibition, too. I was coerced once into entering a tight jeans contest at a biker bar. I'm pretty sure if I could have crawled out of my skin once in my life, it would have been that moment :O

@Barbara-I had no idea horses could get strep. I promise not to breathe on one today ;)

@TWM-So I've been told---Still waters run deep :)

Thanks for all the well-wishes. I'm feeling almost normal today...whatever that means :D

laughingwolf said...

hurry well, lam!

good writerly quotes... see the one i posted today?