Welcome to the first edition of What They Said, What I Heard. This is going to be my new Friday Feature for, I dunno, as long as I feel like doing it, I guess.
Anyway... Confession time! Hi. My name is Delia and I'm a quotations nerd. I find them (dear God, forgive me)...inspirational. I KNOW! What can I say, I'm a closet sap.
In fact, I can say without a hint of irony that it was an authorial quotation that finally moved writing up my mental hierarchy from Hobby to Career Aspiration. Since then, I have come across other quotations which have inspired me, prodded me, and caused me to see things in new and surprisingly effective ways. And now I'm going to share them with you (in the hope that I'm not the only sappy quotation nerd here).
So, without further ado,
What They Said:
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." ~Jack London
What I Heard:
Stop making excuses. Seriously, do you think you're the only one who has problems with this stuff? Get off your lazy ass and do it already. Yours, Jack London
I spent my youth as a lady-in-waiting to La Muse. I truly believed that there was no way I could be a writer because inspiration did not drench me daily in a Calliope-scented rain shower. I wrote my little stories when and if life handed me the time, which wasn't often because there were always More Important Things To Do.
Then one day, I came across a Piece of Flair on Facebook (I shit you not, good folken, Pieces of Flair. Clearly, I was a busy woman.), with this quotation on it. Misquoted. (It said sword instead of club.)
It rattled around my brain for weeks. I even had a conversation with Magnum about it. A few weeks later, when we went out to celebrate our anniversary, he gave me the tiny sword that had held the olives in his martini (which, dude, hella-romantic gesture). I taped it to the side of my computer monitor to remind me that this job, writing, is hard for everyone. The right words, the most vivid descriptions, plots, structure, character, they're all elusive. If you want them to serve you, you'd better damn well grab your club.
So I did.
What about you? Has anything ever given you an unexpected shot of motivation? What turns you into a nerdy sap? Do tell. I don't want to be the only one.
Oh I looooove quotations, both funny and sappy. I keep a record of all the ones I've posted on my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.londonmabel.com/quoting.html
Thanks for sharing your story, it's lovely! The quote that often helps me is the one that reminds me of who I strive to be: "Enthusiasm for the beauty of life helps to keep the brain alive." Lawrence Kilham
It's from a birdwatching book, of all things. My interpretation: Life's inherently meaningful if you try to see beauty in everyone/thing.
Eerie! The other day I was cleaning out a box that'd been sitting in my room forever, and I found my silver feather. It attaches to a key ring, and it has an Eleanor Roosevelt quote: "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
ReplyDeleteI think I bought it at a Borders and then I hung it on a nail downstairs where I used to type. But when I got my laptop I moved upstairs and I took everything down and shoved it in a box. I've made all sorts of new plans, so I guess it wanted to be found again.
I like the quote because it applies to all aspects of life. When I hold it in my hand it reminds me of everything I've accomplished, and my goals seem totally attainable. I think I'll tape it to my laptop.
What Delia said, what Mabel said, what Megan said. I, too, love quotes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really love your quote Delia - and Magnum's sword gift.
Julia Cameron of the Artist's Way says something similar. I don't have the quote at hand but it's something like - artists can't wait to be "in the mood" to write. They just have to sit their butts in their chairs and their fingers on their keyboards.
Jack's is catchier. Easier to remember.
My blog is based on the fact that I find truths in the form of quotes from the most unexpected sources. Like Mabel's birdwatching books.
And quotes like Megan's are great cause when you want inspiration you can just google great people, like Eleanor Roosevelt.
Oh, love this new feature!
ReplyDelete"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." ~ Elmore Leonard
Deceptively simple, yes? I find it very inspiring. *grin*
I am also a sappy quotation nerd. I covered my evil statistics course binder with a quote from Mark Twain, typed in many different fonts: "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics." Made me smile every week in class.
ReplyDeleteThis post was awesome, by the way. You are a great writer. I might have fallen momentarily in love with Magnum, just a little. :)
like bonafide, I might be the tiniest bit in love with Magnum. What a sweet, romantic gesture. ha.
ReplyDeletelove quotations. I've made several attempts to collect my favorites and none of them ever "took." Maybe I will borrow this idea for my blog, too.
Ooh all great quotes! I look forward to this continuing feature. :-)
ReplyDeleteI do this with affirmations. I think. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Love this as a new feature!
ReplyDeleteJulie
@London, I don't know who Lawrence Kilham is, but that's a wonderful quote.
ReplyDelete@Megan, I love me some Eleanor Roosevelt. What a strong person. My favorite part about her is that she didn't start out that way. She was rather meek. She only found her strength when life took a giant crap on her, when most people cave in. Definitely an inspiration.
@Judy, It's always nice when they surprise you. Sometimes it's something you've heard a million times before, but it takes that exact phrasing before it finally clicks. Even better when it comes from an unexpected source.
@Linda, Oh, I love that one, too! Have you read the book that came out of, 10 Rules of Writing? It's fantastic.
@BFB, Mark Twain is always good for a zinger. I love his sense of humor.
@BarbN, I have a Word document full of them. My trouble is choosing. Well, except this one. Because it really was the most influential. Also, between you and BFB, you're going to give Magnum a fat head. ;)
@London, I'm kind of digging this one, too.
@Julie, Affirmations are awesome, but for some reason I could never get into the rhythm of them. Ironically enough for this post, I have to wait until one of them strikes me as inspirational. Otherwise, I'm prone to a "yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever" type of attitude. Weird.
dude, amazing. im kinda the same way...only i "pin" them from pintrest. (yes i sold out and joined the pin cult). and might i add, of course your first quote would involve a weapon. :D
ReplyDeletei love this addition or whatever this quote friday thing is. can't wait for more words of inspiration thru the eyes of the marvelous mrs.D!
@London, Almost forgot! Loved your quote pages. I'm particularly fond of Oscar Wilde, but Erma Bombeck and the one from the A-Team were also excellent. Oh, and the one by Bill Cosby. Magnum and I say that to our children all the time.
ReplyDeleteWonderful feature. And I love the quotes that everyone shared. Some have inspired me. Now I need to get a club. But I think the Eleanor R. quote is what I most need right now.
ReplyDelete@Magoo, I love pinterest! I'm purposely avoiding it because I just know it would be a complete time-suck for me, and lord knows I don't need any more of those. (Same reason I try to avoid Ravelry.) And I hadn't thought of the weapon aspect of the quote until you pointed it out. Hmm. Maybe I'm more violent than I thought.
ReplyDelete@Skye, Aren't they great? I look forward to people sharing more. :) Also, I'd be willing to bet Eleanor had a club.
Am I weird that my first giggle was wondering how long ago this happened since you taped it to the side of your monitor? I think my children are warping my brain... "Like, Mom.. like, doesn't EVERYONE have a, like flat screen monitor now?" :D
ReplyDeleteI love quotes, the best of which make a list of the tattoos I am going to get when I grow a set of brass knockers.
What a great Friday feature.
@Laura, Heh. It was a while ago, but it was still a flat screen monitor. I taped it to the border. (It is currently taped to the inside edge of my laptop monitor.) :) And can I just say, I actually went to tattoo studios to get this quote done and backed down when I saw the price tag. My last one (*ahem*a few years ago*cough) only cost $35, now they start at $200! I'm too damn cheap.
ReplyDeleteLife rewards action
ReplyDeleteand
Don't postpone joy
I forgotten where I heard each of them. Forgive me, whoever said them.
Oh, and - A day late and a dollar short, because I'm always late to the party - like now!
I forgot:
ReplyDeleteFeel your fear and do it anyway.
That's kind of short hand for Eleanor R's words.
@Kate, I like Life Rewards Action. Direct and to the point. The others are great, too. But, like you, I have no idea whom to credit.
ReplyDeleteI love quotes, too! And I agree-- totally romantic gesture!
ReplyDeleteI completely love the idea of your new feature. It's so much fun!
Thanks, Peggy! I'm enjoying this one, moreso now that I know I'm not the only quote-nerd around. :)
ReplyDeleteI do like the "feel the fear" one too. Or as my grandmother says if you hesitate while playing cards: Don't let the fear stop you!
ReplyDelete