“Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”

~Stephen Kings (On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft)

“Mom always talked about how the secret to the creative process was finding the magic. That, she said, was what you needed to do in life as well. Find the magic. In musical harmony, in the rain on your face and the sun on your bare shoulders, in the morning dew that soaked your sneakers and the wildflowers you picked for free in the roadside ditch, in love at first sight and those sad memories of the one who got away. ‘Find the magic,’ Mom always said. ‘And if you can’t find the magic,’ she added, ‘then make the magic.'”

~Jeannette Walls (The Silver Star: A Novel)

“To watch a child at play is to witness creativity at its purest. What would we create if we didn’t have so many preconceived notions about the world around us? If we didn’t ascribe meanings to certain words or situations, if we didn’t already know the purpose of actions and objects and even the role of particular people in society or our lives, how might we interpret things differently? What kind of magic might we bring to the stories we put on the page?”

~Jessica Strawser