donald-miller Quotes About writing

“…more than a half million books, all of them smelling like dust and ink, two terrible smells that blend mystically to make something beautiful. Powells is another church to me, a paperback sort of heaven.”

Writing Beautiful Spirituality Reading Christianity Books Thoughts Jazz Smell Mystical

Book:Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Source: Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

“Writers don't make any money at all. We make about a dollar. It is terrible. But then again we don't work either. We sit around in our underwear until noon then go downstairs and make coffee, fry some eggs, read the paper, read part of a book, smell the book, wonder if perhaps we ourselves should work on our book, smell the book again, throw the book across the room because we are quite jealous that any other person wrote a book, feel terribly guilty about throwing the schmuck's book across the room because we secretly wonder if God in heaven noticed our evil jealousy, or worse, our laziness. We then lie across the couch facedown and mumble to God to forgive us because we are secretly afraid He is going to dry up all our words because we envied another man's stupid words. And for this, as I said, we are paid a dollar. We are worth so much more.”

Writing Humor Authors

Book:Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Source: Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

“I love writing books - I really do. If I could just quit everything and work on a book every day, I would love that most.”

Ifs Writing Book Quitting If I Could Writing A Book

Author:Donald Miller

“The reason I like writing a memoir is because it isn't preachy.”

Writing Reason Memoir

Author:Donald Miller

“I tend to write first drafts that are incredibly cognitive, very rational, very boring. They come off as justification. Like, 'This is my idea and here's all the reasons that it's right.' It doesn't make for very compelling reading.”

Writing Firsts Ideas Reason Reading Boring Rational Justification Compelling Cognitive

Author:Donald Miller

“I used to write when I was in the mood or felt inspired. Anymore, I write whether I feel inspired or not. It's a discipline. So that's definitely different. It's part of maturing as a person and as a professional.”

Feels Writing Persons Different Used Felt Discipline Inspired Mood Mature

Author:Donald Miller

“Be encouraged. Your heart is writing a poem on the world and it's being turned into a thousand songs.”

World Writing Heart Song Thousand Be Encouraged

Book:Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy

Source: Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy

“I think each of us can, through our writing, discover our super power”

Thinking Writing Super Power

Author:Donald Miller

“I took William Zinsser's advice that you write to yourself and you hope that there are people out there who are like you.”

People Writing Advice Like You

Author:Donald Miller

“I think writers would do better to consider that idea [to write to yourself], because you know yourself really well, and you never know your demographic fully. You only get into trouble if you try to please somebody you don't really understand.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Writing Trying Wells Ideas Trouble Please Know Yourself Demographics

Author:Donald Miller

“It's something you can actually control. With writing, it feels like it's given to you, and when the good stuff hits, it feels like it's coming from some other planet.And you're just channeling it.”

Feels Writing Given Stuff Planets Channeling

Author:Donald Miller

“I didn't know how story worked. So, when writing the screenplay, people introduced me to the science of it. And I'm grateful. I'll probably use that information for the rest of my career, in terms of writing novels or writing stories. And then, of course, to help me live a better story, a more meaningful story”

People Knows Writing Helping Stories Use Courses Term Careers Novel Know How Information Grateful Meaningful Help Me Screenplays Writing Stories

Author:Donald Miller

“I had some friends commenting me books, but mostly it was people I didn't know. But they're fans. They're fans of the books, so they have a working knowledge of how I write, and they know what they like and what they don't like. I'm really grateful for their feedback.”

People Knows Writing Book Fans Grateful Feedback

Author:Donald Miller

“When you write, you're alone in a room. And when someone reads a book, they're alone in a room, too, usually. It's a really intimate exchange. And so people ask me where I get the boldness to talk about this or that, but I didn't feel like it required any sort of courage, because I was alone. Sometimes it feels weird for people to read it.”

People Feels Writing Book Sometimes Asks Rooms Ask Me Intimate Boldness

Author:Donald Miller

“Before I studied story, I was trying to write a novel, and it was terrible. It wasn't going anywhere, and I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do. It was really hard; much harder than I thought it was going to be. Now that I've studied story, I think I'd have a different approach and maybe I could actually get it done.”

Thinking Writing Trying Different Hard Done Stories Novel Figures Terrible Approach Harder Get It Done Different Approach

Author:Donald Miller

“I don't read a lot of inspirational books for life. But for writing, I think the two best books are The War of Art and William Zinsser's On Writing Well. I read a lot of classics.”

Thinking Writing Wells Art Two Book War Art Of War Writing Well Inspirational Book

Author:Donald Miller

“Book of Ecclesiastes, God is saying... Write a good story, take somebody with you and let me help”

Writing Book Helping Stories Let Me Good Story Ecclesiastes

Author:Donald Miller

“Here's the truth about telling stories with your life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you're going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it. It's like that with writing books, and it's like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain.”

People Want Writing Book Ideas Stories Happens Pain Joy Sound Cost Excited Working It Writing A Book Great Idea Make It Happen Telling Stories

Author:Donald Miller

“It’s interesting that in the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes, the only practical advice given about living a meaningful life is to find a job you like, enjoy your marriage, and obey God. It’s as though God is saying, Write a good story, take somebody with you, and let me help.”

Writing Book Helping Stories Jobs Life Is Given Enjoy Interesting Advice Let Me Meaningful Practicals Meaningful Life Good Story Ecclesiastes

Author:Donald Miller

“Your life is a blank page. You write on it.”

Writing Life Is Pages Blank Blank Pages

Book:A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

Source: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

“I'm amazed at how much my writing is improved when I step away from the computer, even in small amounts. If I'm stuck, I vacuum the living room or walk the dog. I'm amazed at what comes out of that... We have to realize that part of the writing life where we're sitting down at the computer is harvesting the crops, but you have to have planted them and watered them and created fertile soil - and that's a life.”

Ifs Writing Realizing Walks Rooms Steps Dog Amount Computer Sitting Stuck Soil Amazed Writing Life Crops Vacuums Living Room Fertile Sitting Down Small Amounts Fertile Soil

Author:Donald Miller

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