As we close out Black History Month, I want to share five quotes from African American authors that are sure to give you the push you need to write something fantastic.
Today I want to share a few favorite writing quotes from African American writers who have inspired me and countless others. If you've been in a writing slump or just need a little nudge to remind you to keep going, take a look at these inspiring pieces of advice.
1. Write the Story the World Is Missing
Toni Morrison was a novelist, essayist, editor, professor, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her perhaps most well-known book, Beloved, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was made into a movie starring Oprah Winfrey.
It seems strange that even with the countless novels available to us, there are still gaping holes in every genre. And it can be incredibly frustrating when what you want to read most doesn’t seem to exist. Chances are, you’re not the only one who feels that way.
Here’s a little secret: you can be the one to fill that hole. If something is missing in your genre of choice, be the solution to that problem.
2. Tell Your Untold Stories
Maya Angelou was a memoirist, poet, educator, civil rights activist, and so much more. She is probably best known for her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings about her childhood, but she worked in diverse genres from poetry to the stage.
She was the first African American woman to have a screenplay produced, Georgia, Georgia, and she received widespread recognition for both her writing and acting.
It's hard to choose just one quote from her work, but this one has always resonated with me:
Everyone has a story inside them they can and must tell, even if they don’t know it yet. No one story is the same, which means you and only you can tell the one sitting inside your head and heart, waiting to be written.
Sit someplace quiet and listen. What story is inside you right now, begging to be told?
3. Resilience Is Key
Tiffany D. Jackson is a NYT bestselling author of numerous books, and she was awarded the NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Literary Work in 2017 for her book Allegedly.
Jackson encourages young writers to keep going even when they want to quit.
“Be strategic and resilient in the pursuit of your dreams. That sounds like a cheesy quote, right? But nah, I’m serious. Resilience is one hell of a quality to master and not many have the skin for it.” —Tiffany D. Jackson
With writing comes rejection. No author can truly escape it. No author places in every contest, wins the heart of every agent, or tops every book list there is.
Is all the rejection still worth the end result? Absolutely. Challenges strengthen you. If you can take everything life has to throw at you, you can get right back up and prove you have a story worth telling.
4. Don't Worry About Other People
Jacquline Woodson has a vast catalog of work, ranging from children's books to poetry to middle grade, young adult, and adult novels. In 2018, Woodson was appointed the sixth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and in 2020 she was selected as a MacArthur's Fellow.
Here, she challenges writers to ignore criticism that doesn't make you better as a writer:
“People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do. . . . Don't worry about other people. Worry about you.” —Jacqueline Woodson
Everyone’s a critic and it’s impossible to stop other people’s judgments. But guess what? It’s not your problem.
Sort out what comments are just plain negative and which ones are constructive criticism. Only take to heart what’s going to help you learn and grow as a writer. The rest you can forget about. They’ll only bog you down.
5. Hold Fast to Dreams
Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist, playwright, and a central figure during the Harlem Renaissance. In this quote from the poem “Dreams,” he encourages us to hold onto dreams:
Dreams and desires are what motivate us. Without motivation, we wouldn’t get anywhere. Creativity and productivity can all be fueled by passion.
What sparks that drive in you? Find it and hold onto it. It’s a powerful and priceless thing.
Your Turn to Write—And Read
What stories do these quotes inspire in you? Take time now to write them down.
And if you haven't yet, be sure to take a look at these writers' works. Here are some books to get you started:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
Who are your favorite Black authors? Let us know in the comments below and help us all discover more writers.
PRACTICE
Take one of the quotes from above and think about how it applies to you. How can you use it to grow as a writer? Save it along with some of your other favorite quotes somewhere easily accessible, like a Word document or a Pinterest board.
With that inspiration mulling around in your head, write for fifteen minutes. You can spend the time on your work in progress, or start a new story.
When time is up, share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop here, and leave feedback for a few other writers. Not a member? Join us here.
Love this!
These are good, timely quotes. Thank you for posting this article.
Loved this. For a memoirist, the telling of the tale is often cathartic, but because it is so personal, we are tender. Who cares about our story? Maya Angelou’s quote is perfect for the tender memoirist.
Hello everyone,
I truly enjoyed all the writing advice I’ve just read. My favorite would be the second one from Tiffany D. Jackson, “Resilience Is Key”.
My favorite author African American author so far is Nnedi Okorafor.
J
Hello everyone,
I truly enjoyed all the writing advice I’ve just read. My favorite would be the second one from Tiffany D. Jackson, “Resilience Is Key”.
My favorite African American author so far is Nnedi Okorafor.
J
Nnedi Okorafor sounds like an African name. I am curious to learn more about her (or him).
Sherrie Miranda’s historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc
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I am an unpublished author, I write in French. The novel I am writing just now is about four hundred pages. When revising, many weaknesses pop from the texts. A true tug, a hard work to take into account the reader’s sensiblity, intelligence and time.
In my youth I read Alan Paton’s book “Pleure ô Pays bien aimé’ title which I translate in “Cry ô Beloved country.
I think the English title is “Cry the Beloved Country.” I never read it, but now I am curious. I think this book is taught in many high schools.
Sherrie Miranda’s historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc
I love this post. Maya Angelou is my favorite black author and Toni Morrison is a close second. My favorite quote from this post turns out to be the one says to write the story you can’t find. Sounds like all kinds of good therapy for someone in my current circumstances. I am looking for a story regarding an very average person in their seventies who has always been goal oriented, but not particularly driven. She has a stroke and tries to recoup her sense being of value in a world driven by technologies and speeds which are beyond her ken. She is not sure how to find meaning in a life of limited funds and diminishing capacities. If anyone knows of such a story, I would like to read it. If not I am truly mulling how to write it by finding a way to life it out successfully. Since most of the struggles are internal it is difficult to find an appropriate hook and structure for the usual protagonist and antagonist conflict. Motivation, capacity, and capability seem to be the themes; but fleshing them out seems to be the problem. I want to avoid a “Oh, woe is me, story.” Ok thanks for this sounding board. My fifteen minutes is up and I have a starting point in mind…..
This is a great idea. I would recommend starting with the stroke. Where & when did it happen? Was anyone else affected by it? (i.e. Was there a car accident in which someone else was hurt?) How does this affect her family? Her lover?
Please come back & let us know if you get a 1st draft done. Then you’ll be on the home stretch!
Sherrie Miranda’s historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc
Thanks for your response and I have noted your suggestions and am amazed that how the stroke has effected those around me had not crossed my mind as a means of fleshing the story out. Wow, light shines on Marble Head !!!!! Nuance is called for and my style still resembles a bull in china closet but the idea is the thing and a first draft is such a clear cut goal. Again, thanks.
I want to read this story!
The quote by Woodson speaks to me the most. I think the one thing that scares me the most is rejection; that others will not like what I write. Reading this quote and letting it sink in gives me hope. It’s a reminder to me that there will be critics. It’s part of the writing process. Without them, I cannot grow as a writer. I won’t know how I can improve my writing. So I need to embrace those who criticize my work as much as those who praise it. I need to put my work out there so I can learn how to be a better writer.
The quotes by Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison resonated the deepest with me. I am a black writer in my sixties and struggling with the writing of my first novel, the kind of book I want to read that but cannot find on the shelves. My search for authors who write about the lives of women over forty, including black women over forty, is challenging. I do not have a favorite genre for the same reason. I only know what I do not like. Graphic anything repels me—violence, sex, racism, romance, love stories—which leaves a narrow field of interest. Settings can be urban, city or suburban, although urban settings lean toward graphic depictions. I favor strong female protagonists who overcome adversity in their lives. Thank you for this thoughtful post. I feel supported and encouraged.
Magic, I really love your material! But can you please clarify meaning of resilient in “Be strategic and resilient in the pursuit of your dreams.” And can you be resilient and check new best service for writing for your college asignments?
So divine, inspirational, uplifting, motivational….need I say more? Thank you for this wonderful article…
Janice Lauderdale nee: Smith was born in Los Angeles, California in February 1948, a healthy 8 pound baby. According to my parents, I was a good happy baby. We lived in a crowded house on 107th Street in Los Angeles with several of my father’s family members including my very nice grandmother.
Please join bestseller writers group http://facebook.com/bestsellergirl
I am a huge fan of Toni Morrison! I wish there was a college class on her writing. I still don’t know who Tar Baby was. Anyone? Do you know?
Sherrie Miranda’s historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc
I used to share the Langston Hughes poem with my students! It was perfect for 9th graders writing about following their dreams & not letting anything get in their way.
Sherrie Miranda’s historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch5chkAc
“People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do. . . . Don’t worry about other people. Worry about you.” —Jacqueline Woodson
This quote caught my attention because I often feel limited in what I can write because of what others might think. I’ve chosen to write fiction and do include pieces of various people I’ve known, but am careful to mask specific identities by combining characteristics of different individuals into one person or changing specific details. This may be even more of a problem in my next project as I’m going to write about the one-room country school I attended as a child. The stories I want to tell, especially about the teachers will make this difficult. My advantage now is that those individuals are no longer living, but I still want to protect the privacy of their families.
Other situations that bring up worry about what others will think include writing about physical relationships or criminal activity. If I get too specific, I worry about judgement. If I avoid specifics, I worry that some readers might find my approach prudish. So – “Don’t worry about other people. Worry about you.” Let the story unfold from the characters without concern about what “other people” might think. Perhaps that is one advantage of writing fiction. My characters can have thoughts and indulge in actions that I might not experience any other way.