"Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter."
No. 65 - A few favorites from the noisy mind of a prolific writer
He has written more books than he is tall, has beaten addiction, and nearly died after being hit by a van walking on a quiet road in Maine. Stephen King’s mind must be noisy, but thankfully, he takes the time to get some of that noise onto paper. Here are a few thoughts for your Sunday. Enjoy.
"When you're twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It's only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect that you've been looking at the map upside down, and not until you're forty are you entirely sure. By the time you're sixty, take it from me, you're fucking lost."
— Stephen King (Joyland)
Be careful. If you spend too much time following your map, you might end up where you shouldn’t. Worse yet, you might realize you were following someone else’s map.
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." — Stephen King
Everyone is talented, few are skilled. Skill requires practice - often alone and without applause.
"When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction." — Stephen King (Joyland)
Hold that flashlight up. That’s a tree, not a monster. Looking back, how many of your stories are fiction? Our minds not only travel time but also masterfully reinforce our narrative.
"No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side. Or you don't." — Stephen King (The Stand)
It’s time to do the work. Whatever that means to you. And whatever you do, just don’t quit.
One more to take with you.
"God grant me to SERENITY to accept what I cannot change the TENACITY to change what I may and the GOOD LUCK not to f*** up too often"
— Stephen King (Salem's Lot)
Good luck, Kelly
I love this, you cannot succeed if you don't show up. Thanks Kelly!
Big fan of the last take. My favorite comment from my brother six years younger than me. Anytime something big comes up. “Well man, Don’t F it up.” Gets me every time and if you don’t F it up every now and then you’re not learning. Or being human. Being humbled by something is a power you can draw from in the future. You are not any more special than anyone else.