The Alchemist...
Finished Paulo Coelho's Alchemist. Quite inspiring. It helped me make the emotional jump into fully embarking on a career as a writer. Here are some of my favorite quotes...
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." (40)
"He realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure. 'I'm an adventurer, looking for treasure,' he said to himself." (42)
"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." (68)
"The closer one gets to realizing his Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being." (72)
"No matter how many detours and adjustments it made, the caravan moved toward the same compass point." (75)
"He tried to deal with the concept of love as distinct from possession, and couldn't separate them." (99)
"If he died tomorrow, he would already have seen more than other shepherds, and he was proud of that." (109)
"'And what went wrong when other alchemists tried to make gold and were unable to do so?'
'They were looking only for gold. They were seeking the treasure of their Personal Legend, without wanting actually to live out the Personal Legend.'" (125)
"The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. No heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." (130)
"When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others, seldom you are believed." (134)
Now I'm on to St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell. This girl is amazing. At 25, she's already put out a book of short stories and she's been featured in The Best American Short Stories, The New Yorker's debut fiction issue, and New York magazine's list of twenty-five people to watch under the age of twenty-six. She graduated from Columbia's MFA program. Jealous, yet inspirited.
Other books I've read so far this year: The Road, Slaughterhouse V, No One Belongs Here More Than You, and industry books like The Hollywood Assistant's Handbook (kind of corny, but extremely helpful) and Save the Cat (which I haven't completed, but it's helping me with my antichrist idea.) I've also been reading Tropic of Cancer and Lolita, Jack's Beowulf on the Beach, the Nerve: First 10 Years collection, and whatever screenplays I can get my hands on.
At least I'm fully pursuing one of my New Year's resolutions...
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." (40)
"He realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure. 'I'm an adventurer, looking for treasure,' he said to himself." (42)
"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." (68)
"The closer one gets to realizing his Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being." (72)
"No matter how many detours and adjustments it made, the caravan moved toward the same compass point." (75)
"He tried to deal with the concept of love as distinct from possession, and couldn't separate them." (99)
"If he died tomorrow, he would already have seen more than other shepherds, and he was proud of that." (109)
"'And what went wrong when other alchemists tried to make gold and were unable to do so?'
'They were looking only for gold. They were seeking the treasure of their Personal Legend, without wanting actually to live out the Personal Legend.'" (125)
"The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. No heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." (130)
"When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others, seldom you are believed." (134)
Now I'm on to St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell. This girl is amazing. At 25, she's already put out a book of short stories and she's been featured in The Best American Short Stories, The New Yorker's debut fiction issue, and New York magazine's list of twenty-five people to watch under the age of twenty-six. She graduated from Columbia's MFA program. Jealous, yet inspirited.
Other books I've read so far this year: The Road, Slaughterhouse V, No One Belongs Here More Than You, and industry books like The Hollywood Assistant's Handbook (kind of corny, but extremely helpful) and Save the Cat (which I haven't completed, but it's helping me with my antichrist idea.) I've also been reading Tropic of Cancer and Lolita, Jack's Beowulf on the Beach, the Nerve: First 10 Years collection, and whatever screenplays I can get my hands on.
At least I'm fully pursuing one of my New Year's resolutions...