Not sure who passed this gem on but it’s like a shock treatment in quote form to warn us writers to avoid dallying with thinking about writing, writing lists of writing tasks and research for writing projects, and - my latest sin - reading books about writing!
The American novelist Harry Sinclair Lewis was supposed to deliver an hour-long lecture to a group of college students who planned to be writers. He apparently opened his talk with a question: "How many of you really intend to be writers?"
All hands went up. "In that case," said Lewis, "my advice to you is to go home and write." With that, he left. (Bits & Pieces - March 1997; Economics Press)
80 years ago, Sinclair lewis was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." According to Wikepedia, his writing is known for insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values, as well as their strong characterizations of modern working women.
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