365 Days of Writing Prompts

Quote Me January 4th

Do you have a favorite quote that you return to again and again? What is it, and why does it move you?

I have several quotes I return to time again, that spur me forward, keep me going, or remind me why I'm in this - life - to begin with.

The one that comes to mind first and foremost is:

What if I fail?
Oh, but my darling -
what if you fly?

It is this quote that got me to the end of my first novel. The first line echoed what I thought but my thoughts went further - it was not only what if I fail, but when I fail.

I had a clear vision of what could happen when I failed: people would look down on me in pity, my pride would be shattered, I'd prove to myself that I couldn't write, and then I'd give up, simultaneously proving that I was a quitter.

The whole situation had "talentless loser" written all over it, despite existing only in my imagination.

Oh, but my darling -
what if you fly?

What if I managed to get a draft actually complete? To get some positive feedback? To have it edited and illustrated and published as a real, live book?

Well now, that would be a different story...