Dr. Seuss on Simplicity

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."
-Dr. Seuss

We writers can sometimes make the straightforward awfully complex. 

• We obsess about what to write, when the answer is often to simply "begin."

• We bemoan blocks when all we really may need is sleep, a juicy writing prompt or a new colleague with a sharp editorial eye.

After fighting with a complicated new email newsletter template for many more hours than I care to admit, I thought it'd be nice to hear a bit about simplicity from you, dear reader.

How do you cut through complexity?  How do you access your own simple answers?

Comments

[V.E.]

I have two stickies on my wall above my computer. One reads "I will remember what should be remembered." The other reads "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. --William Morris"

Sometimes when I'm stuck, I get up and walk around for a change of scenery or put my computer (it's a laptop) on the floor for a change of perspective. It's amazing what sitting in a different position will do!

[CoachMarla]

Kerry, thanks for stopping by & leaving a comment. I love how images are a
"passport to simplicity" for you! Fun to hear what's above your desk, too.

warmly,
Coach Marla

On Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 3:41 AM, wrote:

[Kerry Dexter]

there are two cards I have over my desk. one is a Christmas tree with candles on it -- only candles -- standing at the window of a rustic cabin. underneath is a quote from Graham Greene: "Behind the complicated details of life stand the simplicities." The other card is a photograph of a scene at evening, in a snowy woods landscape. There's a very small cart strung with holiday lights. Underneath the scene says "it's about the light..." both visually and through thre words, I find catching sight of these unexpectedly as well as focusing on them guides me toward simplicity.