“February 12, 1992. No wonder I have this nagging sense of meaninglessness: I’m not writing. I’ve been noodling around with this ghost story, but it’s not enough. I was built to work every day, not just now and then.”
– Jordan Mechner, The Making of Prince of Persia
__________
“Well, you’re not going to get an epiphany every day. But sometimes you never get the epiphany unless you have some open space where your mind embodies that moving rest.”
– Jim Harrison, Conversations with Jim Harrison
__________
It’s hard to keep this commitment. Two days of empty space and I feel the joy of this regular practice slipping.
I must move beyond perfectionist thinking: I am not a genius who can reach deep and grab a pithy line or two every day.
I must rely on the more humble talents of commitment, routine and consistency.
Look, it is paying off. I have sat down to write and lo and behold, I’m writing!
I can never go wrong with picking up any book by Jim Harrison. He is an invigorator.
It’s important to discover, recognise and keep close at hand those writers who energise us.
I am not expected to do all this on my own.
But no one can hit ‘publish’ except me.
Even if I cannot find a fitting sentence to end things, it’s still valuable work.
A little intellectual movement in my day to keep the systems in check.
Conversations With Quotations 