WRITING, No Matter What; Bullets From The Inside Out

I went back and looked over pieces I’ve written about writing. I include some excerpts below.

Imagination is the key in the lock. I’ve covered that a thousand times over the years. Because in writing, the engine quits often and you have to start it up again. Imagination is how you do it. You GRAB ANYTHING and make a rocket out of it. PERMISSION is for suckers, rubes. You’re not asking for a big OK. You’re way past that. You jumped off the edge a long time ago.

People think INFORMATION is the writer’s starting point. His ignition. Yes, that works. But it’s not central. Breaking new ground is. The idea that you can. You will. You’ll say something you never said before. That’s the Grail. Every day. THEN comes information.

You’re not adding up numbers in a book. You’re not lighting your mind on fire with data. You’re busting through the boredom membrane. Shedding old skin. You’re getting in your car and driving out of town in a direction you’ve never explored before. You ASSUME there are an infinite number of those routes…and you’re right.

What you read on this page is the result of THAT.

The lie is limitation. The pose is limitation. The excuse is limitation. The bullshit story of civilization is limitation. THERE IS NO LIMIT. THERE NEVER WAS.

The physical body might not understand that. The brain might not. The mind might not. But the imagination does.

And that’s the only thing that counts.

Here are the excerpts:

CUT ONE: Writing: hand, eye, and stars.

A man and his wife: she who cooked up magic.

I have a story about a writer who was close to giving up and found rescue.

I give you the story, because I want to remind you that if you’re a writer, or want to be, your breed will go to the ends of the Earth to find what it needs. And if you have THAT, you’re electric. You’re launched. You can outdistance anything.