Quote It! Maya Angelou

July 14, 2012

Quote It! Maya Angelou

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

― Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, actress, and civil rights activist. (b. 1928)

Oh so true.

Some of the stories inside are happy, some sad; some decadent, some holy. But whether happy or sad each is on the inside fighting to get out. And their struggle–for it is my struggle as well–causes pain.

Do I struggle to write them from fear of failure or from fear of success? Or just from fear?

We all know “butt in chair.” What else do you do to extricate the stories in you? Share below.

Michael Ehret, for Writing on the Fine Line

Michael Ehret, WritingOnTheFineLine

Writing, Writing quotes

8 responses to “Quote It! Maya Angelou”

Larry Timm

July 14, 2012

Michael,

I remind myself of the power and stewardship of story that God has entrusted to me as a writer, and that motivates me to keep working to get the story out. It also keeps me hungry to learn how to be the best writer I can be.

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1. writingonthefineline
  
  July 14, 2012
  
  Larry, always good to remind myself that the stories are God’s. He placed them within me and gave me the tools I need to get them out! But I do the work, under the empowering of the HS (as I try to do everything…).
  
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Jim Hamlett

July 14, 2012

I daydream about them a lot until I can see them in my head as a film roll. Then comes the hard part: finding the time to do the “butt in chair” thing.

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1. writingonthefineline
  
  July 14, 2012
  
  Ha! We do things very similarly.
  
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anemulligan

July 14, 2012

Sometimes, I think it’s fear of getting that “block” I sometimes … okay ALWAYS get at about the 12k mark into the story. Then it takes some hard work, examination, and just plain grit to break through it. I always do, though, so then I get disgusted with myself for worrying about it. ;o)

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1. writingonthefineline
  
  July 14, 2012
  
  I know I made up some stupid stuff just to move on in my story … that’s part of the reason I’ve not gone back to finish it. LOL
  
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Tandy

July 14, 2012

I find myself almost driven to distraction by this. Nothing works but to sit down, face that blank page with the flashing cursor, and type in a word…and a sentence, which usually ends up edited out, because it isn’t on topic for what flows out from there. It’s like pricking a blister.

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1. writingonthefineline
  
  July 14, 2012
  
  Great analogy, Tandy! I like it.
  
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