Faulkner: Famous writers from A to Z on writing

Writing is hard to start. Consider the blank page (or computer screen) on the night before a term paper or writing assignment is due. Where does one begin? Long-time writers may flick right past this fearsome moment quickly, but it definitely gives fledgling wordsmiths pause. Good writing doesn’t come fast.

American author William Faulkner (1897-1962) offered advice for would-be writers:

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”

Hey, as folks say, “It’s a fine place to start.” This makes one wonder where Faulkner began, before he penned such popular works as The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Absalom, Absalom!

Faulkner, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize, said this about success:

“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”

Phew. Easy for Faulkner to say, right? But his advice rings true. Everyone can’t win a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, but each of us can write better tomorrow than we did today, if we force ourselves to fly a little higher.

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Graphic adapted from public domain image

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