I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.
Interpretation
Life experiences can inspire creativity in unexpected ways.
In this quote, John Grisham reflects on how his background as a lawyer provided him with unique insights and experiences that ultimately led him to become a writer. He emphasizes that his initial foray into storytelling was not a lifelong aspiration but rather a product of his professional encounters, highlighting how our careers and experiences can shape our creative endeavors.
In practice
During a writing workshop, I shared how John Grisham's quote inspired me to draw from my professional background.
Nobody wants to read about the honest lawyer down the street who does real estate loans and wills. If you want to sell books, you have to write about the interesting lawyers - the guys who steal all the money and take off. That's the fun stuff.
Death row is a nightmare to serial killers and ax murderers. For an innocent man, it's a life of mental torture that the human spirit is not equipped to survive.
An outline is crucial. It saves so much time. When you write suspense, you have to know where you're going because you have to drop little hints along the way. With the outline, I always know where the story is going. So before I ever write, I prepare an outline of 40 or 50 pages.
Writing's still the most difficult job I've ever had - but it's worth it.
Ten years from now I plan to be sitting here, looking out over my land. I hope I'll be writing books, but if not, I'll be on my pond fishing with my kids. I feel like the luckiest guy I know.
I used to walk in a bookstore and see all these books on the walls. And I would say, 'Who wants to hear from me? What do I have to add to all of this?'
If I have any regrets, I could say that I'm sorry I wasn't a better writer or a better singer.
There are other singers of ranchera music who sing very beautifully, but you can tell from the way they sing that they never lived on a ranch. They never knew what it was to milk a cow, to birth a calf, to shoe a horse. I've lived all that.
Beauty when unadorned is adorned the most.
Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.
Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It's not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it.
I love being onstage. I love the relationship with the audience. I love the letting go, the sense of discovery, the improvising.
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