Ask the Author: Bob Mitchell
Answered Questions (6)
Bob Mitchell
I don't need special inspiration. I find writing intrinsically inspiring by itself. If you don't get inspired just by sitting in front of your computer or writing pad or just sitting in a chair and thinking about what you're going to write, as hard as this always is, you're in the wrong business. If you're waiting to be hit by the "furor poeticus," by some lightning bolt, well, then, l wish you all the best!
Bob Mitchell
A novel about tennis and life titled EVERYTHING ON THE LINE and a collection of short stories titled A SLUT NIXES SEX IN TULSA.
Bob Mitchell
Put in the work! Writing is very, very difficult work, requiring a great deal of struggle, failure, and hard work finding the right words, the right rhythms, and all the right ways of expressing yourself and telling your story. The best quote that illustrates this is by Ben Hogan, arguably the greatest golfer ever. When asked how he got to be that good, he simply replied, "It's in the dirt."
Bob Mitchell
Being a writer.
Bob Mitchell
There is no such thing! If you love writing, you much love the PROCESS, which includes pain and suffering. It is part of the deal. You can't write well if you don't embrace the struggle! I always use two quotes when I am teaching writing: the first is the Latin "Per aspera ad astra," or "To the stars through difficulty"; and the second is from the great American sportswriter Red Smith, who said, "Writing is easy. All you do is sit in front of your typewriter until drops of blood form on your forehead."
Bob Mitchell
From living my own life for seven decades, plus my recent heart and kidney transplant in July of 2015.
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