Saturday, April 13, 2013

King's Speech: L is for LIFE

Regular readers of The Shellshank Redemption know how much I enjoy a good quote (see Motivational Mondays) and that I’m a huge fan of Stephen King (see the King of All Days Part I and Part II.) So, for the 2013 A-Z Challenge, I decided to combine the two, using some of my favorite King quotes about reading, writing and life in general. Enjoy!

*****

Writing is not LIFE, but I think that sometimes 
it can be a way back to life.
(Stephen King)

Sometimes I lose my way. I find myself in both a creative and general funk. My heart and body ache.

So, I turn to my husband, who is my best friend. I turn to chocolate. I turn to cheese. I turn to TV and movies.

But I also turn to words, to stories, to books – other people’s and my own. Someone else’s novel takes me out of myself, gives me some perspective or just entertains me for a while so that when I return to myself I feel just a bit better. My hand scratches pen across paper – the physical act of writing grounds me – and words flow, maybe ones that describe how I feel, maybe ones that tell a story about dragons or monsters under the bed or a little girl who conquers her fears.

Words are like scattered bread crumbs forming a trail for me to follow, to find my way back. Words always save me. 

19 comments:

  1. That's a very true quote, and what you wrote following it is lovely as well.

    Writing can always help me feel 'right' again when I get off balance.

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  2. I LOVE the scattered breadcrumbs analogy...genius!!

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  3. What you tell me here makes me think, yep, she's a true writer. That's how all of us writers feel from time to time. So if you ever had any doubt, trust me, you got our disease.

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  4. He makes a good point. We can find ourselves again through writing.

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  5. Very poetic and truthful post. I know if I haven't written anything for a while, I don't feel quite myself...

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  6. I love the breadcrumbs analogy too.
    Truly lovely post :)

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  7. Yes, sometimes it is our own words, sometimes it is anothers. I love books sooo much.

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  8. MJ - thank you. Writing often puts me in balance, too.

    OE - thank you!

    Michael - oh, I know. I've got it bad. :)

    Alex - absolutely!

    Nick - it's the same way for me. I feel like I forgot to do something. :)

    Lexie - thank you so much. :)

    Rebecca - me, too!

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  9. This is such a lovely post! I feel the same way about writing, even though sometimes it feels like torture too. I know it's Sunday and you're taking the day off from A-Z, but I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for a blog award over at my blog today. http://katejarvikbirch.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-liebster-award.html

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  10. Kate - it's funny how writing can - and does - help and hurt sometimes. And thank you for the blog award! :)

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  11. I love your analogy to the bread crumbs, how perfect. I definitely feel this way about writing. I was in a bad place in my own head when I first started taking writing seriously and it totally changed my life.

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  12. Julie - I'm so glad writing helped you pull through a tough time.

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  13. king has so many great quotes!
    my newest fave is the one he wrote in your book! keep writing!

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  14. Words can save you. And better than chocolate, they don't add on the pounds. Well unless you lay in bed all day long reading and doing nother else. But that's not the words' fault. :)

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  15. Aw, the power of books... and chocolate. ;)

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  16. Doing the things we love to do and being around people who support us are perfect remedies for those days when we're aching.

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  17. Suzi - when I first read your comment, all I could think about was strapping books onto myself as I walked around. Now that would add pounds! :)

    Heidi - you know it! Thanks for Following!

    Cynthia - very true!

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  18. *Sigh*--well put, the two of you.

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