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Follow me here, but Kanye is right. In our case, though, it's much smarter to compete against ourselves.
Can you top the work you've already done? That's the mark of a writer hungry to improve every day.
2. "My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live."
Pretentious? You bet. But view this quote another way.
Have you ever listened to your prose read by you? Read by another?
(THIS LAST IS IMPORTANT since the other will not know what you MEANT TO WRITE or IN WHAT TONE UNLESS IT IS IN THE PROSE.)
Spend a few minutes doing both kinds of listening. Your writing will improve.
3. "Before, when I wanted to rap, my raps sounded like a bit like Cam'ron. And it wasn't until I hung out with Dead Prez and understood how to make raps with a message sound cool that I was able to just write 'All Falls Down' in 15 minutes."
If you're willing to admit you have a lot to learn -- and then seek out people to teach you -- that's when the growth truly happens.
4. "I hate when I'm on a flight and I wake up with a water bottle next to me like 'Oh great, now I gotta be responsible for this water bottle.'"
No one is responsible for your prose but you. Take care of the sentences, and the paragraphs will take care of themselves.
5. "If you don't make Christmas presents, meaning making something that's so emotionally connected to people, don't talk to me."
What's memorable today in fiction? Creative ideas that breathe originality, compelling, riveting stories and vivid detail. A lead character you root for against all the odds.
Everything else is DOA.
6. "Nothing in life is promised except death. Know your worth!"
Ultimately, the only person who is going to fight for you... is you. You must believe in your dream before anyone else will.
The dreams that flourish in the desert are the ones watered with wise efforts and expanding skills.
7. "Someone will always be prettier. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be younger. But they will never be you."
What makes your prose special, different and valuable?
Focus all attention on that answer, and you won't have time to notice everyone else's fiction.
I adore Paddington, and have been known to try and give the perpetrators of injustice a 'Paddington Bear Stare'.
ReplyDeleteLove your advice to writers. And it makes me a more attentive (but still greedy) reader too.
Elephant's Child:
ReplyDeleteMy mother discovered Paddington Bear in one of her many hospital stays. After that, I sought out VHS tapes of all his adventures.
My own Hibbs, the cub with no clue, would get along famously with Paddington! :-)
Thanks for ever being my friend, Roland
The Paddington Trailer is so cute--and the opposite in spirit from Kanye West. But I like how you put such a positive spin on his egomania.
ReplyDeleteHelena:
ReplyDeleteI'm a big Paddington fan from way back!
Kayne West would probably take offense at my positive spinning of his egomania! LOL.
At least he's good for something.
ReplyDeleteAlex:
ReplyDeleteHe makes us all feel better by comparison, too. :-)
I don't know much about Kanye other than he's turned into a Kardashian, but I loved it when he was on a live TV Hurricane Katrina fundraiser and he said George Bush doesn't care about black people. The look on Mike Myers' face was priceless.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I would hate to have a conversation with him. Ignorance is not bliss, it's bothersome.
ReplyDeleteThe Paddington Bear movie looks delightful though.
I was curious when I saw the title of this post, and I just had to see his quotes. You made very good points though, Roland. But I agree with David in that I would hate to have a conversation with him. Ugh!
ReplyDelete