"In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the
same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum
rational thinking of our daytime lives. And as your mind and body grow
accustomed to a certain amount of sleep each night — six hours, seven,
maybe the recommended eight — so can you train your waking mind to sleep
creatively and work out the vividly imagined waking dreams which are
successful works of fiction."
This is a quote of Stephen King that Maria Popova shared in
Brain Pickings when talking about King's book:
On Writing. In the summer of 1999, King was nearly killed while
taking his daily walk. A driver struck King as
he strode along the gravel shoulder of Route 5 in Maine. While recovering from his injuries, King wrote
On Writing.
Read the whole story, including some insightful excerpts and a 25' recording of the whole story in
NPR. E.T.P. 32'.
Image: Screenshot of Shortlist website.
Massive spoiler alert! Shortlist pusblished some of the most famous
last words in literature. Here's what they say about it: "If you knew you were about to meet your maker you’d try and make
your last words before you shifted off this mortal coil pretty darn
special, eh? Literary characters are no different – some succeed in reaching some
higher state of gravitas; others, well, their last recorded utterances
reflect the banality of much of the human condition. Have a look in
Shortlist website. E.T.P.: 4'.
