Writing and the Writing Life

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Here are some techniques and/or concepts that I’ve found particularly useful, some relating to writing and some to the writing life.

Where possible, I’ve illustrated them with actual examples from my experience or the experiences of other writers I’ve known or read about. Over two decades, I’ve had the opportunity to research communications within large corporate populations, enabling me in several instances to cite specific research results relating to the topics.

For ease of use and also to make commenting easier, I’ve broken the topics into bite-sized chunks, as listed below.

As time passes, I’ll add other topics as they arise, but this seems like a good place to start.

I don’t pretend to be an expert, and anything I say about any and all of the above is based strictly on experience and observation. Much of it is highly subjective, for many aspects of the writing life are personal, to say the least.

My intent in offering the comments is that others with more training will join the dialogue and share their expertise.

ABOUT THE QUOTES
At the bottom of the central column of each page in this section, you’ll find a boxed quote from my collection of quotations.

Some relate specifically to some aspect of writing, reading, libraries, book collecting, and/or the writing life.

Others refer to factors that can affect us as we write and read: (1) individual traits such as attitude, determination, focus, enthusiasm, optimism, persistence, etc.; (2) actions such as goal-setting, prioritizing, working the plan, etc.; and (3) circumstances that individuals can and cannot control, such as adversity, environment, health, etc.

Some of the quotes are serious, some light-hearted, some pleasant, and some downright mean and irritating. All, I think, incorporate some element of the useful, inspirational, motivational, entertaining, and/or cautionary.

Some of the quotes are famous; others, obscure; and still others, surprising (at least they were to me). I hope you’ll find them helpful in their insights, or – barring all else – interesting.

The quotes cycle at random whenever the page is refreshed.

One thing to keep in mind is that, if you click the “Print This Page” link at the bottom of the page, you will see, in the “print version” of the page that comes up, a quote different from the one on the page you left. That is because the basic blog program views a click on that particular link as a trigger to refresh.

If you want to print the quote that you see, don’t click “Print This Page.” Rather, print from the “File” drop-down menu on your browser’s top bar or do the right-click “Print page.”

It is not enough to fight. It is the spirit which we bring to the fight that decides the issue. It is morale that wins the victory. — George C. Marshall (1880-1959), Military Review (October 1948)