"We are all bitched from the start..."

Letters of Note has done it again. Today they posted a fantastic letter Ernest Hemingway wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald about his novel Tender is the Night. I know I've mentioned my exorbitant love of these men and their writings. I love their communications, how Hemingway hates Zelda, how he's always trying to help Fitzgerald. I'd post the whole letter, but it's find of long, so click the link at the bottom and I'll leave you with some quotes I enjoyed.

"Forget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to hurt like hell before you can write seriously. But when you get the damned hurt use it—don't cheat with it. Be as faithful to it as a scientist—but don't think anything is of any importance because it happens to you or anyone belonging to you."

"Jesus it's marvellous to tell other people how to write, live, die etc."

"You see, Bo, you're not a tragic character. Neither am I. All we are is writers and what we should do is write."

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/04/forget-your-personal-tragedy.html