This is for writers yet to be published who think the uphill climb will never end. Keep believing. This is also for published writers grown jaded by the process. Remember how lucky you are.
Terry BrooksRead
Fiction writing is a twenty-four-hou r-a-day occupation. You never leave your work behind. It is always with you, and to some extent, you are always thinking about it. You don't take your work home; your work never leaves home. It lives inside you. It resides and grows and comes alive in your mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fiction writing is an immersive pursuit that constantly occupies the writer's mind.
This quote emphasizes the all-consuming nature of fiction writing, suggesting that it is not just a job or task to complete, but a deep-seated passion and way of life. The writer carries their work with them at all times, indicating that creativity is an ongoing, internal process that continuously evolves within their mind, making writing a personal and persistent endeavor.
Themes
FictionWritingOccupationCreativityImagination
In practice
Example use cases
During a writer's workshop, I shared the quote to illustrate the dedication required in fiction writing.
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The muse whispers to you when she chooses, and you can't tell her to come back later, because you quickly learn in this business that she might not come back at all.
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After all, you put a lot into creating a universe and everything that goes with it, and it seems a shame to use it only once.
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If you don't think there is magic in writing, you probably won't write anything magical.
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Writing fantasy lets me imagine a great deal more than, say, writing about alligators, and lets me write about places more distant than Florida, but I can tell you things about Florida and alligators, let you make the connection all on your own.
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