| [BACK]
Recently, cleaning my office, I came across a postcard with a quote I always liked. It's from Sir Joshua Reynolds, noted 18th century English painter, and goes like this: "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking." I read where Thomas Edison posted framed copies of the sentiment at his West Orange, New Jersey laboratory.
I've always felt that simply substituting the word "writing" for "thinking," results in an equally valid quote.
Do we know precisely what the story is about and can we articulate it in one or two sentences?
Are we sometimes too easily satisfied with an early draft-avoiding the need for still more improvement and polishing?
Have we made each character distinctive and given their dialogue an equally unique voice?
Can we improve on plot and structure-making the story more compelling by raising the stakes?
It's easy to avoid the real labor of writing. But in the final analysis, only the best and most laborious survive.
|
