Just be patient, she told herself, and with the mounting pages, the strength of her writing fist grew.
Markus ZusakRead
I find writing extremely difficult. I usually have to drag myself to my desk, mainly because I doubt myself. And it's getting harder because I want to improve with every book.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a challenging process that comes with self-doubt, especially when striving for improvement.
Markus Zusak highlights the struggle that many writers face: the internal battle of self-doubt and the pressure to continuously improve their craft. This quote encapsulates the emotional process of writing, where the desire to produce better work can often hinder creativity and motivation, making the act of sitting down to write feel burdensome.
Themes
WritingSelf-DoubtImprovementChallengeCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing seminar, to encourage fellow authors facing challenges.
More from Markus Zusak
All quotes →It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow. Like it has pulled it on, the way you pull on a sweater. Next to the train line, footprints were sunken to their shins. Trees wore blankets of ice. As you may expect, someone has died.
Markus ZusakRead
Because you don't learn anything unless you can find the patience to read. TV takes that away from you. It robs you from your mind.
Markus ZusakRead
Or had she always loved him? It's likely. Restricted as she was from speaking, she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to drag her hand across and pull her over. It didn't matter where. Her mouth, her neck, her cheek. Her skin was empty for it, waiting.
Markus ZusakRead
I think it's a mistake to think, 'Am I going to write a young adult book, or do I desperately want to write a book for adults?' I think the better ambition is to try to write someone's favorite book, because those categorizations of adult, young adult, become kind of superfluous.
Markus ZusakRead
I could introduce myself properly, but it's not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.
Markus ZusakRead
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The truth is, part of me is every age. I’m a three-year-old, I’m a five-year-old, I’m a thirty-seven-year-old, I’m a fifty-year-old. I’ve been through all of them, and I know what it’s like. I delight in being a child when it’s appropriate to be a child. I delight in being a wise old man when it’s appropriate to be a wise old man. Think of all I can be! I am every age, up to my own.
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Build a cell inside your mind, from which you can never flee.
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Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.
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