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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Inspiration is unpredictable and cannot be summoned at will.
This quote emphasizes the unpredictable nature of creativity, likening it to a muse that offers inspiration only when it chooses. It reflects the understanding that artistic inspiration can be fleeting, and one must be ready to embrace it when it arrives, as it may not return on command.
Themes
InspirationCreativityMuseArtUnpredictable
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during an artist's workshop to encourage participants to embrace spontaneous inspiration.
More from Terry Brooks
All quotes βI cannot imagine life without books any more than I can imagine life without breathing.
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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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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.
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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.
Terry BrooksRead
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