Thoughts by W. H. Auden

A couple of thoughts from the book “The Dyer’s Hand”, by American poet W. H. Auden, that apply to us as much as they do to poets and writers.

About work in progress:

To keep his errors down to a minimum, the internal Censor to whom a poet submits his work in progress should be a Censorate. It should include, for instance, a sensitive only child, a practical housewife, a logician, a monk, an irreverent buffoon and even, perhaps, hated by all the others and returning their dislike, a brutal, foul-mouthed drill sergeant who considers all poetry rubbish.

About originality:

Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.

Words to live by!