Coffee Beans and Quotes

I decided to share a couple of writing quotes that I felt were both fun and true. The coffee bean border also says a lot about my life as a writer.  I truly cannot get through writing anything without coffee to inspire me.

Background Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I used to weave elaborate tales as a kid, and that was enough to gain me the label of "weird" and "liar."  The other kids never understood my propensity for exaggerated storytelling.  The truth is, I always wanted to tell stories.  I carried a writing notebook everywhere, no matter how much other people teased me about it.  Now that I'm an adult, a lot more people seem to think that I'm cool for doing the same thing.  The passage of time changes a lot.

Why do I engage in the lie of fiction writing?  It's simple.  I engage in the lie of fiction to tell the truth about the world as I see it.

This leads me to the second quote.  When I tell truths about the world that I find important, they tend to be at least a little controversial.  This means that, in writing about these things, I will inevitably annoy, or even outright enrage, some people.  I have to decide that's okay.  In order to write stories of substance that mean something to me personally, I have to be willing to ruffle some feathers.  The written word can entertain, but it can also transform.

That's what I really want.  To write something that challenges someone, and maybe even transforms the way they think about something.  Annoyance is the irritant that leads to critical thought.  If this is the case, then annoyance is a prerequisite to change.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.  Does anyone have a perspective they'd like to share about these quotes?  Or do you have a favorite writing quote to share?