'Maya' on storytelling, writing, poetry and greeting cards
On storytelling
If you develop the art of seeing us
as more alike than we are unalike,
then all stories are understandable.
On writing
I keep a hotel room
and go there at about 6:30 in the morning.
I have a Roget’s Thesaurus,
a dictionary, a Bible,
a yellow pad, and pens,
and I go to work.
So I don’t mind working.
I don’t mind the struggle.
I owe it to the muse, to the creator.
And when the work comes out just right,
mmm, my goodness,
it’s such a blessing.
I’m careful about the words I use,
because I know that my brain will remember
and tell them back to me.
I understood early
that not everything I did
was going to be a masterpiece,
but I would try to do it the best I knew how.
I’ve listened to an inner voice
and had enough courage
to try unknown things.
On writing poetry
When I come close to saying
what I want to, I’m over the moon.
Even if it’s just six lines,
I pull out the champagne.
But until then, my goodness,
those lines worry me
like a mosquito in the ear.
On ‘art’ in greeting cards
The challenge is to say something well
in a few words.
A person who might never read
a book of poetry reads a card
and is secured, made safe on some level
in her life. It may get better than that,
but I doubt it.
‘Maya Angelou’ worked as a cook, streetcar conductor, waitress, singer, dancer, editor, teacher, civil rights organiser, and actress before becoming one of America’s most beloved writers. Angelou was interviewed for HBR in May 2013.
I FOUND these pieces in that article.
This is the third part of a three-part ‘feature’.
Here’s a link to the original article:
Dream intentionally - while you’re awake.
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