Even professional authors can have very, very bad days. Next time you’re feeling down about an essay draft or staring down the terror of a completely blank document, remember these words of questionable wisdom from beloved and decorated authors:
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“I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything.”- Charles Darwin, the author of a trifling little scientific survey called On the Origin of Species.
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“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” -Ernest Hemingway, a memoirist of sorts with a singular talent for making the act of writing sound unspeakably violent.
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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny…” -Isaac Asimov, an author who made minimal splash in the realm of science fiction.
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“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” -W. Somerset Maugham, a so-so playwright who couldn’t hack it as a doctor.
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“Revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.” -Stephen King, a two-bit horror writer, whose familiarity with “what murdering children is like” probably shouldn’t be questioned, for safety.
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"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams, the author of a quaint little sci-fi series no one has ever heard of called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
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Last but not least, an anecdote, not a quote: Once, after a particularly rough critique, Hans Christian Anderson was found lying face down in the dirt and crying… in Charles Dickens’s front yard.
So honestly, as long as we’re not crying in our friends’ inflatable swimming pools this summer, I’d say our writing process is going rather swimmingly. If you find you’d like a little extra help in that endeavor, give us a call! We help with academic, personal, and application essays, without the use of blast charges, tears, or murder.