Write while the heat is in you. When the farmer burns a hole in his yoke, he carries the hot iron quickly from the fire to the wood, for every moment it is less effectual to penetrate (pierce) it. It must be used instantly, or it is useless. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience.
— Henry David ThoreauOkay, since I haven't read much lately (blame friends, Apple, and Hulu), I'm going for this old quote from HD Thoreau. While I haven't connected much with the fellow in the past, this quote struck me as golden. I find that the longer I wait to write on a topic that strikes me as intriguing, the less interesting and complete my my thoughts on the subject turn out to be. If I could pinpoint one major downturn in my writing life (besides the apathy I fight so strongly against), it would be this: I wait until I cool.
the quote is a great one. it reminds me of struggling to record a dream after waking up and realizing you were dreaming. i always wait too long and try to clarify things instead of figuring out what it really means after it's down.
ReplyDeletebtw, 1) hello and 2) i like your stuff.
Leave it to Thoreau to be wise like that. And I completely know what you mean about dreams - I do the same thing.
ReplyDelete1) hello again, old friend.
2) thank you. That is nice to hear.