“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.”
― Bird by Bird
― Bird by Bird
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
― Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
― Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
“Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?”
― Bird by Bird
― Bird by Bird
“For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
― Bird by Bird
― Bird by Bird
“He is careful of what he reads, for that is what he will write. He is careful of what he learns, for that is what he will know.”
― The Writing Life
― The Writing Life
The Best Book Club Ever
— 31 members
— last activity Feb 11, 2026 01:30PM
The Best Book Club ever is for all members of the club. May you be from the California or Texas branch. This book club is for a bunch of great women ...more
Esa’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Esa’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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