Writing through History

George Goodwin Kilburne, The Letter, before 1924

"I am not at all in a humour for writing; I must write on till I am."

- Jane Austen

 

Susan here – Sometimes we talk about the craft of writing here at Word Wenches, and sometimes about writers through history. The insights and nuggets of wisdom that writers share have value no matter how many years or centuries have passed. As writers and readers, we’re always learning and creating, and the thoughts of other writers about the craft and the reasons to write are as fresh and meaningful now as then. The more things change - the more they stay the same.

From ancient Egypt to more modern writers, here's what some of them had to say about writers and writing... 

           

Mural, House of Livia, c. 39 BCE, Rome

 “Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in few.” - Pythagoras

Egyptian, Seated Scribe, c. 2500 BCE, Louvre

"Would I had phrases that are not known, utterances that are strange, in new language that has not been used, free from repetition, not an utterance which has grown stale, which men of old have spoken."

"Complaint of Khakheperraseneb," from a fragment of an Egyptian writing tablet, c. 2000 BCE, British Museum

 

"Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom then bear fruit, then ripen." — Epictetus, Greek philosopher

 

 

Mary Franckenstein, 19th c. The Storyteller

“A tale is but half told when only one person tells it.” – Grettir’s Saga (Icelandic)

E. B. Leighton, Abelard & Heloise | Christine de Pizan Instructs Four Men, 1410

 

“Against the disease of writing one must take special precautions, since it is a dangerous and contagious disease.”

- Peter Abelard, d. 1142

 

"Poetry's object is truth."

- Christine de Pizan, d. 1434

Gerard ter Borch, Woman Writing, 1655

"All I ask is the privilege for my masculine part, the poet in me ... If I must not, because of my sex, have this freedom ... I lay down my quill and you shall hear no more of me."   - Aphra Behn, 17th c. playwright

 

Engraving, frontispiece, Phillis Wheatley poems

 

"Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd, Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind."

– Phillis Wheatley, 18^th century poet and slave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carl Spitzweg, Bookworm, 1850

 

 

"Young Waverley drove through the sea of books, like a vessel without a pilot or a rudder." 

– Sir Walter Scott, Waverley

 

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”

—Samuel Johnson

 

"I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in."

- Robert Louis Stevenson 

Chardin, Scullery Maid, 1738

 

 

"The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes."

- Agatha Christie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether the book is new or a very old classic -- writers and the writing process hasn't changed much. And we can always learn from them. Do you have a favorite writer quote you'd like to share? 

(BTW, the painting at the top of the blog by George Kilburne is the gorgeous image we chose for our Word Wenches Facebook page header!) 

Comments

[Lil]

I've always liked the contrast between these two:

"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world."
—Shelly

"Poetry makes nothing happen."
W.H. Auden

[Mary T]

Love the quotes. Love the pictures even more - especially the one with the elderly gentleman atop the ladder holding four books with various parts of his body (smile). Hope he's careful coming down.

[Kareni]

What a lovely post, Susan!

A favorite quote by Gene Fowler — 'Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.'

[Sue McCormick]

I agree with the majority of these — writing is difficult and solitary. And the accompanying art is wonderful. Thank you for a lovely post.

[Enisa Haines]

Love, love, love reading this! So many great quotes relevant to today. My favourite from modern times is Nora Roberts saying something along the lines of 'you can fix a badly-written page. You can't fix a blank page.' Great for a writer's motivation.

[Annette N]

Wonderful Post!!!! I love the quotes as well as the art. Thank you.

I believe that any type of being creative is difficult. It is just that writers can use their words to share their pain with the rest of us.

Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[Karin]

Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. --Mark Twain