Quote for the WeekIn her book of essays, Personal Pleasures, published in 1936, Rose Macaulay wrote: To move among this bright, strange, often fabulous herd of beings, to summon them at my will, to fasten them on to paper like flies, that they may decorate it, this is the pleasure of writing.
You may never have heard of Emilie Rose Macaulay who was born in 1881 and died in 1958. Shortly before she died, she was named a Dame of the British Empire. Emilie, as she was commonly called, was an English novelist who published more than 30 books, most of them novels. The most highly regarded of her novels was The Towers of Trebizond, published two years before her death.
She's remembered by critics and scholars because she was one of the few "significant English novelists of the last century to identify herself as a Christian and to use Christian themes in her writing." Her writing was described as having a mystical sense and a richness.
I think that richness of expression is plainly evident in her comment, quoted above, about one of the main pleasures of writing - creating fictional characters.
I guess all writers feel as if the people we create are members of a fabulous herd of beings, created by our fancy to intrigue and entertain us.
Takeaway Truth
To you, what is the pleasure you find in writing? Discover this and it will sustain you in the face of disappointment and rejection.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful words of Rose Macaulay. I share her sentiment about the pleasure of writing, even though I could never be so eloquent in expressing it.
ReplyDeleteYou mean besides pretending I'm flying a spaceship?
ReplyDeleteI write because I love my characters. I'd never call them a herd, I think a mob is a more appropriate word choice. But I adore spending time with them. :o)
Glad you enjoyed it Maryann. I think Rose Macaulay was an amazing writer.
ReplyDeleteJust Me, I can't wait to read your fiction. Especially if there are spaceships involved. I don't write sci fi but I love to read and watch it (TV, movies). Sci Fi is my favorite network. Stargate SG1 & Atlantis, Eureka, Gallactica. Waiting for Sanctuary, new Amanda Tapping series.