Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair - the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a serious endeavor that should be approached with intensity and commitment, not casually.
In this quote, Stephen King emphasizes the importance of approaching the act of writing with a range of deep emotions, be it nervousness, excitement, or even despair. He suggests that writing is a powerful and serious task that deserves our full attention and dedication, encouraging writers to engage wholeheartedly with their craft rather than treating it lightly, highlighting the weight of expression and the passion behind it.
Themes
WritingPassionCommitmentEmotionsCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational workshop for aspiring writers, one could inspire participants by sharing this quote to highlight the necessity of deep emotional investment in their work.
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That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
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Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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