Writing isn't easy. In fact, it can be painfully difficult. Why? Because it's thinking, but on paper. "To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard," said Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author David McCullough.
Many great writers, including Joan Didion and Don DeLillo, have said that their purpose for putting words on paper is to find clarity with their thoughts, and have described the process of writing as one of becoming familiar with their own minds.
“I find that by putting things in writing I can understand them and see them a little more objectively," Hunter S. Thompson wrote in a 1958 letter. "For words are merely tools and if you use the right ones you can actually put even your life in order."
If you're a writer, then you're likely both devoted to your craft and eternally frustrated by it -- and even the most talented writers could use guidance from the greats on how to hone their powers of thinking and get those creative juices flowing. Take a cue from the likes of Henry Miller, Zadie Smith and William Faulkner to get into your "writer's mind" and produce your best work.
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