The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one. Lawrence Block More Quotes by Lawrence Block More Quotes From Lawrence Block Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else. Lawrence Block inspirational funny travel Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for. Lawrence Block destiny discovery inspirational I wanted a drink. There were a hundred reasons why a man will want a drink, but I wanted one now for the most elementary reason of all. I didn't want to feel what I was feeling, and a voice within was telling me that I needed a drink, that I couldn't bear it without it. But that voice is a liar. You can always bear the pain. It'll hurt, it'll burn like acid in an open wound, but you can stand it. And, as long as you can make yourself go on choosing the pain over the relief, you can keep going. Lawrence Block pain hurt liars Ideas come to people who are receptive to them. Lawrence Block receptive people ideas The less attention I pay to what people want and the more attention I pay to just writing the book I want to write, the better I do. Lawrence Block writing book people One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I'm going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I'll have lost nothing-writing and tearing up five pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off. Lawrence Block writing morning giving It's the easiest thing in the world to know God's will. You just wait and see what happens, and that's it. Lawrence Block knowing-god waiting world I can't persuade myself that one of the problems facing the planet today might be a shortage of books by me. Lawrence Block might today book As my late mother famously observed, the one thing to be said for growing old is that every year there are a few more things I don’t have to give a rat’s ass about. Lawrence Block mother giving years As a friend of mine, herself a writer, says, 'People who spend the most meaningful hours of their lives in the exclusive company of imaginary people are apt to be a little strange' Lawrence Block littles meaningful people If you cannot stand a spoon upright in the cup, then the coffee is too weak. Lawrence Block spoons cups coffee Donald Westlake's Parker novels are among the small number of books I read over and over. Forget all that crap you've been telling yourself about War and Peace and Proust-these are the books you'll want on that desert island. Lawrence Block islands war book I think persistence in the face of adversity is an essential part of a writer’s job description. If you don’t care enough about it to avoid being easily disheartened that way, you really should be doing something else. Lawrence Block persistence adversity jobs I never know what I'm going to write next, and when I think I do I usually turn out to be mistaken. Lawrence Block next writing thinking Why on earth should I care whether people read me with their eyes or their ears? Lawrence Block eye ears people Something I learned long ago. It is not necessary to know what a person is afraid of. It is enough to know the person is afraid. Lawrence Block long-ago persons enough People don't get to change things. Things change people once in a while, but people don't change things. Lawrence Block people-dont-change things-change people Every year there's a few more things I'm not sure of. I've decided that a wide-ranging uncertainty is the mark of the true maturity of man. Lawrence Block maturity men years Asking me why I did or didn't do anything is generally pointless. How do I know? And asking me what I'll do in the future is even less rewarding. Lawrence Block pointless asking knows If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. Lawrence Block dark writing lying
