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Quote by Cheryl Strayed

“So much of what I've learned, so much of what's good in my life, was learned because something bad happened, or from making the wrong decision. Through bad decisions I learned how to find the ways to make the right ones.”

Author

Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed is an American author who gained fame with her memoir 'Wild', which tells the story of her solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. The novel, which was later adapted into a film, has been praised for its profound personal narrative and exploration of themes of female self-discovery. Her work has been celebrated for its deep personal storytelling and exploration of themes of female self-discovery. more

“I think the first thing - if you want to be a writer - the first thing you need to do is write. Which sounds like an obvious piece of advice. But so many people have this feeling they want to be a writer and they love to read but they don't actually write very much. The main part of being a writer, though, is being profoundly alone for hours on end, uninterrupted by email or friends or children or romantic partners and really sinking into the work and writing. That's how I write. That's how writing gets done.”

People Thinking Writing Children Done Feelings Hours Advice Obvious Love To Read

Author:Cheryl Strayed

“Writing can be such a lonely endeavor that I do think community is also important.Meeting at cafes and exchanging work and reading to each other and giving each other little bits of encouragement and feedback and thoughts, I think that's an incredibly rich experience because what it does is it gives you a sense of community but also purpose. If I know I'm going to meet you in a cafe next Tuesday, I'm going to write something that I can hand to you. Discipline is such a challenge for so many writers and so I think that that's a key benefit of being in a group.”

Thinking Giving Writing Important Purpose Reading Community Challenges Rich Discipline Lonely Encouragement Meetings Feedback Tuesday

Author:Cheryl Strayed

“Of course some people manage to write books really young and publish really young. But for most writers, it takes several years because you have to apprentice yourself to the craft, and you also have to grow up. I think maturity is connected to one's ability to write well.”

People Thinking Writing Book Ability Growing Up Manage Maturity Publish

Author:Cheryl Strayed

“I think a lot of people have the idea of an editor being someone who comes in like a dictator, and says, "You can't have that scene." And it never is like that - or perhaps some editors are like that and they're assholes, and they're not good editors. A good editor actually says, "I respect you" and they understand that you have a vision and they're actually trying to help you realize it.”

People Thinking Trying Helping Realizing Vision Scene Dictator

Author:Cheryl Strayed