For the most part, writing is a solitary pursuit. The image of the author hunched over a typewriter, sitting by a lonely window exists for a reason. It exists because it is largely true. Sure, the details may be different, it’s probably not a typewriter and maybe there isn’t even a window but the obvious isolation of the image tends to ring true.
This sense of isolation can feel even more profound for self-published authors. When you are doing everything on your own, from writing your first draft to formatting your ebook, to promoting your work, it can be extremely difficult.
Without access to the support systems available through traditional publishing methods and writing circles, it’s easy to become discouraged and forget why you started in the first place — you had something you wanted to say, and a story you wanted to tell.
Whenever you find yourself feeling uninspired about writing, life, love, or anything else, turn to these quotes from self-published authors for help!
1) “Write every day. Writing is a muscle that gets stronger with use.”
2) “Life is busy and I find the best way to escape the day to day stresses is through the pages of a book. Reading is my passion, my addiction, and all out obsession.”
3) “Image life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the hair. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls… are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”
4) “Behind every beautiful thing is a world of paint.”
5) “Passion is a rare commodity. When you find it, treasure it and never give it up!”
6) “if you were born with the weakness to fall you were born with the strength to rise”
7) “Self-editing a novel is like trying to put pants on a cat: yes, it’s painful and time consuming, but in the end, satisfying.”
8) “If you can’t be of good character, write a good character.”
9) “Write for the right reasons — ie yourself.”
10) “Be creative, be useful, be practical, be generous and finish big.”
11) “My only wish is that we leave room for hope. There is good and bad in all things. We find what we expect to find. We see what we expect to see. I have learned that if I tilt my head just right and squint, the world outside is beautiful. The future is bright. There are good things to come.”
12) “Where attention goes energy flows; where intention goes energy flows!”
13) “Happiness comes from moving toward something. When you run away, ofttimes you bring your misery with you.”
14) “If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no foolproof anything. There’s nothing foolproof.”
15) “Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths… Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”
16) “The best decisions are the ones you can feel.”
17) “Write for yourself. That’s it. And write every day.”
18) “The good news about self-publishing is you get to do everything yourself. The bad news about self-publishing is you get to do everything yourself.”
19) “This is the best time in history to be a writer. Today, you can bypass the gatekeepers.”
20) “Writing a book makes you an expert in the field. At the very least, when you hand someone a book you wrote, it’s more impressive than handing a business card.”
21) “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
22) “Curiosity — I find that’s the most commonly seen characteristic of happy people.”
23) “There’s something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.”
24) “Don’t let pain keep you from moving forward. It shouldn’t stop your progress — it should drive it.”
25) “Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn’t exist and never shall. There is only now.”
