joshua chamberlain

a collection of small proverbs I’ve collected over the years, about writing, making art, and living well…

1. “so what?”
2. make big plays TODAY!
3. “I’m doing this thing because I believe in it.”
4. every scene is a chase scene
5. Unity, Coherence, Development
6. suffer the consequences
7. Each paragraph is a single shot. Paragraph breaks are cuts.
8. Your best work is the stuff you’re embarrassed to share.
9. go to a different discipline
10. other people’s expectations are not your responsibility
11. why do YOU need to tell this story?
12. action > reaction > action > reaction
13. the secret to stealing is you have to steal around
14. fire the judge
15. we read to discover what happens next
16. does it serve the work?
17. your characters are their ACTIONS
18. People love to pretend
19. “Be patient…”
20. DO THE THING!
21. “you’re good. get better…”
22. nothing moves forward without conflict
23. process, not product
24. what are you trying to say?
25. the stories are what make us. we will overcome. we will endure.
26. You are loved and capable of loving.
27. You don’t get a life–you build a life.
28. Life is a gamble. Bet on yourself.