By Janice Hunter of Sharing the Journey
Big claim. How on earth can capturing quotes in a notebook improve our lives? I’m guessing you’re a book lover as well as a wordsmith. Or an avid reader of other people’s blogs? If we use our skills as quote-hunters with integrity, we can sharpen our writing and invite presence, openness, connection, focus and inspiration into everything we do.
Being open to inspiration and guidance
As a writer, you should have a sticky soul; the act of continually taking things in should be as much a part of you as your hair color. ~ Elizabeth Berg
I never go out without a pen, a notebook and a book to read. When I read a book with a ‘quotebook’ and a pen handy, it’s a signal I send to myself and to the universe. It says “I’m open. I expect nothing, but I’m prepared to be moved, enlightened or entertained. I’m a student, ready and willing to learn from the lives and the wisdom of others.” In my Filofax, stuck on the fridge, pinned to my pinboard and incorporated into my art work, albums and blog, quotes serve as flashes of inspiration, mini mission statements and signposts to keep me on track. Dead poets become heroes, strangers become mentors.
Right in the middle of Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, I jotted down the words that became the header quote for a multi-threaded article I’d written about school decisions, coaching, my daughter and the new president, called Sharing the Journey. I’d been hunting for the right quote for hours and I felt like he was speaking to me directly when he said, “It is…the parent willing to nurture a child that will decide our fate.” It brought the whole piece together and set the tone.
Focus and attention
“You see, what catches our attention might be more than a coincidence – it might also be a potential incident of inspiration.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Using a quote by someone else can add freshness and a different perspective to what you’re expressing, like a photo used to illustrate a blog post. At the beginning of a piece, it can stimulate curiosity and provide a taste of
what’s to come or it can highlight an important concept. In the middle of a piece, it can link sections or bind ideas like a ribbon around a bouquet.
Finding the perfect quote that illustrates several sentiments or pulls together a complex train of thought is similar to recognising one of life’s Aha! moments. It’s synchronicity’s way of helping us focus and pay attention. Highlighting sections of your own writing, either as a header or in a text box, can help clarify your aims, intensify your intention or mirror your message. We all have different ways of processing the world; it’s a sign of respect to others if we try and find a way to repackage what we’re saying in ways that resonate.
Connection, magical moments and collages
“Cling to simplicity, sincerity and the power of truth.” ~ from the I Ching
Our first instincts are often the ones that bypass our censors and cruel inner critics which is why many quotes become deeply personal and precious to us. They’re like messages sent from our own souls.
Every time you choose a quote that resonates with you, don’t stop to ask why; just write it down and keep it safe. Quotes are like photographs, snapshots of who you are, who you were. They’re music that moves you, lyrics that leave you scarred. They’re memories of a moment when you came upon someone else’s words and felt connected, not only to another human being, but to the moment, the thought and the feeling that overflowed from them and cried out to be heard. The ‘Me too!!’ or ‘That’s it exactly!!’ moment.
As writers, isn’t that what we want to achieve in our own work?
Being open to connecting with others in this way makes us more grateful and humble, more open as human beings, more able to create this kind of connection in our own writing. It’s our unique life experience and how we channel, choose and arrange the moments, the music and the words that makes us writers, creating collages that turn our lives into works of art – living, breathing works of art that we want to share with others.
Janice Hunter is a certified life coach who supports writers, coaches and homemakers through her writing over at Sharing the Journey.
[Note from Mary: Janice's blogling is just one day old! Please subscribe to her newborn blog and make her day!]
32 Comments, Comment or Ping
janice
Thank you, Mary, for this opportunity, and bless you for being such an enabler and a supporter of wordsmiths the world over. You’ve already made my day!
Mar 30th, 2009
Mary Jaksch
Oh – that’s nice, Janice!
I’m always happy to see someone having the guts to put themselves out there. And you’re a good writer! I’m sure your blog will be very successful.
Mar 30th, 2009
Mike @ ObliviousInvestor
“The ‘Me too!!’ or ‘That’s it exactly!!’ moment.”
Wonderfully enough, that just was one. ;)
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
Thank you, Mike – I just got goosebumps!
Mar 30th, 2009
Writer Dad
Janice, you are a beautiful writer. Blogopolis is lucky to have you. Keep filling cyberspace with beautiful prose. Inspiration swims in the molecules around us, we need only be mindful enough to pay attention.
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
Exactly. When we breathe them in, inspiration, life and writing become so intertwined we can no longer separate them. Thank you, for this, for the pleasure your writing brings and for all your support and encouragement!
Mar 30th, 2009
Laura G.
Wonderful article! Using quotations can be so powerful, adding richness and meaning to any topic. I certainly don’t do this enough – thank you for the timely reminder!
Mar 30th, 2009
Blog Expert
I love it. Nice morning read.
Mar 30th, 2009
Terry Heath
I like what you said about quotes being able to get past our own inner critics. That is so true. I’ll see something wonderful someone else has said, and even though it resonates within me, my inner critic doesn’t realize using it shares something of myself. Quotes slide right under the radar, and I’m allowed to share my own thoughts without self persecution, even if it’s only in my summary or comments about the quote.
Good luck with your new blog. I’m learning Mary is one of those rare people who goes around encouraging others; we’re lucky to have her in the blogosphere.
Mar 30th, 2009
Bamboo Forest - PunIntended
Quotes really are magical.
It’s wonderful to peruse the many quotes of great thinkers. Often these short passages convey so very much.
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
@Laura G
Thank you! Isn’t that the weird thing about other people’s writing, how timely it always seems, like it’s meant for us? I always seem to find blog posts, comments or quotes just at the right time to inspire an article or pull together a piece. It’s like everyone except me knew what I needed to find!
@Blog Expert
It blows my mind knowing this piece is travelling round the world with the sun. It’s evening where I am now! Thanks!
@Terry Heath
Totally agree with you about Mary. She’s created a magical safe place over here at WTD that always seems to let a beeze in.
I also agree about inner critics. The damage I’ve seen people do to themselves is heartbreaking. When I coach, I’m so hard on myself afterwards, I call mine Cruella the Critiquer. But when I write, I don’t seem to have one. My Child Writer Me seems to be happy to be allowed to be herself and play with no bullies to torment her this time round. She writes, and I enjoy editing so much, I’m quite happy to hack my own pieces to bits afterwards and she enjoys watching me, like we’re kids knocking down huge teetering lego towers. My HUGE problem though, is when other people try to edit my work. That’s when the mum in me seems to rush to protect my Child Writer Self quite fiercely because she writes from a naive place without ever really worrying about where the writing is coming from. Sorry, got a bit carried away there.
@Bamboo
Hello, finally! We keep almost meeting in comments. (When you were growing up did you ever guess people would affectionately and respectfully think of you as Bamboo?) “Magical” is the perfect word. I take thirty words to say what genius poets and great thinkers can say in a heartbeat! I think that’s why I’m so drawn to them. Some have a kind of distilled essence that comes from having been lovingly shared and passed around for years, like a worn wedding ring or a sea tossed pebble. Quotes by new writers have a different kind of power, a current raw edge. That’s why I’m addicted to great lyrics. They slay me. I love Beth Nielsen Chapman’s lyrics so much, there are times I can’t bear to listen!
Mar 30th, 2009
Carlos Garbiras
I love your article, I also run around with a small notebook to jot down any quotation that I can randomly find. Just one thing, the proper word is not quote is quotation. Quote is a verb, while a quotation is a noun.
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
Thank you, Carlos! Isn’t it a wonderful thought, imagining all of the writers in the world carrying notebooks so that if we meet, in a café or a park or an airport, it’s like a special symbol that fellow writers recognise with a smile!
Mar 30th, 2009
Julie M
This is great and goes along wonderful with my blog! (inspiredtowrite.com)
I have had a few quotes that triggered thoughts and inspiration to write on my blog.I love inspirational quotes anyhow. My blog actually provides a quote of the day at the top. Funny how just a sentence or two can really put things in perspective and trigger some great introspect!
Thanks for this post!!
Mar 30th, 2009
Mary Jaksch
Hi Janice!
This relates to getting to cranking up your new blog:
“The first crank is really hard, but by the 100th turn, it’s just moving by itself.” ~Jim Collins
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
@Julie M
You’re welcome! I loved doing it. I plan on posting quotes regularly too; I’m really looking forward to it as I’ve been gathering them for weeks while I’ve been reading.
@Mary
Good morning! We spoke when I woke and now I’m off to bed, tired but happy. My wee blog will just have to self-pollenate! Thank you for the fun I’ve had today! I’ll check in again in the morning to see if anyone has visited from another time zone. What a great community you and Leo have built here!
Mar 30th, 2009
Marc - WelshScribe
Janice it’s always a pleasure to read your articles, they are so infused with wisdom and spirituality.
As Marcel Proust once said
“We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.”
Apt words for you and your writing Janice.
Mar 30th, 2009
janice
Hi Marc! You caught me just before I head off. Thank you for the lovely words – and what a perfect quote! (I hope you don’t mind if it sneaks off and makes a home for itself on my blog somewhere!) Thank you for all your support, too, as I’ve ventured further and further into Blogopolis every day – you’re a real gentleman.
Mar 30th, 2009
David Cain
I’ve got a whole document full of great quotes. I could write a blog post about the idea expressed in each one of them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is a gold mine for fantastic ideas.
Especially this one:
I dislike quotations. Tell me what you know.
Mar 31st, 2009
janice
I gather Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes too. I especially like this one: A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. I especially like when writers use other people’s quotes to heighten that “gleam of light” and not just to replace original thought.
Mar 31st, 2009
Marc - WelshScribe
@David You hit the nail on the head there. Quotes are a great source of blog posts.
@Janice I wouldn’t be surprised if I started seeing bloggers quoting you before long.
Mar 31st, 2009
Nadia - Happy Lotus
Hi Janice,
When I first started writing which was years ago, I had read that Hemingway always carried a small notepad with him so that if anything caught his attention, he would be able to write it down and not forget it. I followed his advice and it is one of the best things that I did. You never know where inspiration will come from and quotes are often great sources of inspiration!
Congratulations on your new blog! :)
Mar 31st, 2009
janice
Thank you Nadia! I’m still at that soppy stage where I can’t believe it’s mine and lying there in its metaphorical crib! The building part has been hard but I’m looking forward just to settling back into some kind of writing routine now. Do you keep all your notebooks? I eventually shred my writing ideas notebooks, but keep the quotebooks.
Mar 31st, 2009
Nadia - Happy Lotus
Hi Janice,
I definitely have kept all my quote books and as for notebooks, it depends on the material. If I have used all the material in the notebooks, I usually shred it. But if I have still have not used all the material, I keep it.
Don’t worry…you will settle into a new routine. It takes time but you will. :)
Mar 31st, 2009
TravelinOma
I write quotes in the margins of books that I know I’ll reread. It’s like running into an old friend. I also have some computer folders called “Quotes about Mothers” “Quotes about Writing” etc. where I collect my favorites. Somehow quotes always seem new. I like your comparison to lyrics and music.
Mar 31st, 2009
janice
@TRAVELINOMA
“It’s like running into an old friend”
Exactly! I did my dissertation on Katherine Mansfield at university and when I came across my old paperback of her Letters and Journals, I gasped when I saw the quotes I’d underlined in pencil. It was like time travel, as if I’d written messages to the me I’d be in decades to come!!
Mar 31st, 2009
Ladyexpat
Great post. You have given me an entirely new way to look at quotes. Thank you!
Mar 31st, 2009
New Blogger
Chills ran up and down my spine because I felt like I was reading about myself! Quotes have been my inspiration with my writing and my life. Thank you for writing such a wonderful article!
Apr 7th, 2009
janice
@ladyexpat
Thank you! I clicked your link and went for a wee travel…glorious!
@new blogger
You’ve made my day! Being allowed to write this post has brought me nothing but joy. You may be a new blogger, but your site is fresh and lovely and I can see you’re a natural capturer of inspiration. Enjoyed your ‘maybes’.
Apr 7th, 2009
Chad Prigmore
Hi Janice,
What a great article. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, and I have notebooks full of quotes and excerpts. I really enjoy finding an old notebook and re-discovering something I jotted down years ago.
Thanks!
Apr 14th, 2009
Danielle Ingram
Really lovely post, as a writer it can be so easy to get consumed in your own world, writing about your own thoughts and feelings, I totally agree with you it is so important and so inspiring to take a little bit of something from other writers!
Jun 3rd, 2009
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