I read about writers who have routines. They write at certain times of the day. I can't do that. I am always writing-but in my head.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the individuality of the creative process, emphasizing that inspiration can come at any time and does not conform to a schedule.
Jamaica Kincaid reflects on the personal nature of writing and creativity, suggesting that while some writers thrive on structured routines, her own inspiration is an ongoing internal dialogue. She implies that creativity isn't bound by time or traditional methods, but rather exists continuously in the mind, demonstrating the unique ways artists connect with their craft.
In practice
This quote could be used in a writing workshop to inspire aspiring writers about the varying methods of creativity.
Something settiled inside me, something heavy and hard. It stayed there, and i could not think of one thing to make it go away. I thought, So this must be living, this must be the beginning of the time people later refer to as 'years ago, when I was young'.
Gardeners (or just plain simple writers who write about the garden) always have something they like intensely and in particular, right at the moment you engage them in the reality of the borders they cultivate, the space in the garden they occupy at any moment, they like in particular this, or they like in particular that.
I have no credentials. I have no money. I literally come from a poor place. I was a servant. I dropped out of college. The next thing you know I'm writing for the 'New Yorker,' I have this sort of life, and it must seem annoying to people.
I didn't think of myself as an outsider because of my race because... where I grew up I was the same race as almost everyone else... It is true that I noticed things that no one else seemed to notice. And I think only people who are outsiders do this.
I come from a little island with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I come from, really, nowhere, and for me, the fiction and the nonfiction, creative or otherwise, all come from the same place.
The English language started out as a distortion in my life, but nothing remains the same, and so the distortion is now just normal. That is one of the things that will happen to all distortions: They become normal and turn into something else.
I have simply tried to do what seemed best each day, as each day came.
Our Apostolic Mandate requires from Us that We watch over the purity of the Faith and the integrity of Catholic discipline. It requires from Us that We protect the faithful from evil and error; especially so when evil and error are presented in dynamic language which, concealing vague notions and ambiguous expressions with emotional and high-sounding words, is likely to set ablaze the hearts of men in pursuit of ideals which, whilst attractive, are nonetheless nefarious.
Temporis ars medicina fere est._x000D_ _x000D_ Time is generally the best medicine.
The control of the palate is a valuable aid for the control of the mind.
The surest way to get a thing in this life is to be prepared for doing without it, to the exclusion even of hope.
Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.
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