Don't write anything till you're 25.
Don't write for the high school yearbook; don't write for the college literary magazine.
Don't write that stuff.
You've never had any experiences. Just shut up.
I did not have anything to say until I was 35
and even then, not much.
– Joe Queenan
Don't write for the high school yearbook; don't write for the college literary magazine.
Don't write that stuff.
You've never had any experiences. Just shut up.
I did not have anything to say until I was 35
and even then, not much.
– Joe Queenan
(Photo courtesy of Ilya Ilford and Unsplash.)
My college poetry professor said that we might not have anything interesting to express as poetry at our age, but we could gain skill at writing it.
ReplyDeleteYes. And there's an old Zen saying that a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has something to say. I think that's crucial insight.
ReplyDelete(Also, I disagree with Joe up there if his statement must be taken in literal terms. I'm certain Joe disagrees with it on those grounds as well.)