Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author

Guy Kawasaki is, among other things, a phenomenal author. “Art of the Start” is one of the mainstays on my bookshelf, and I read it once a year. I happened across its sequel in the library a few months ago, and devoured it. If you’re a writer, game developer, or any sort of entrepreneur trying to make a go of things, you should most definitely make time for both of these books. These are my ten favorite quotes from “Art of the Start 2.0”.

10). “Write What You Know. That Should Leave You With A Lot Of Free Time.” –Howard Nemerov
This little tongue-in-cheek nugget is nestled conveniently on the contents page, and it’s some of the best advice you can get as a writer. Focus on what you know, your writing will be more authentic and fluid. Realize there’s a lot you don’t know, and commit yourself to learning.

9). “I Have Never Thought Of Writing For Reputation And Honor. What I Have In My Heart Must Come Out: That Is The Reason Why I Compose.” –Ludwig Von Beethoven
Don’t write to get rich quick (please). Write, or do what you’re doing, because not doing what you’re doing will drive you insane. You won’t please everyone. You will piss some people off. But you will also find your audience.

8). “Experience Is The Name Everyone Gives To Their Mistakes.” –Oscar Wilde
I have bad news for you: you’re going to screw up your first time out. And your second time. And probably your third, too. The point isn’t to avoid mistakes. The point is to learn from them. And then make new ones.

7). “It’s Alright To Aim High If You Have Plenty Of Ammunition.”–Hawley R. Everhart
Basically, try everything you’ve got. Something will stick. Eventually you’ll hit the mark.

6). “If You’re Not Part of the Solution, You’re Part Of Precipitate.”–Henry J. Tillman
A twist on a classic, I’d like to add an addendum. Sometimes, it’s better to be part of the problem.

5). “Thank You For Sending Me A Copy Of Your Book. I’ll Waste No Time Reading It.”–Moses Hadas
If this made you laugh, good. You passed the humility check. This cracked me up as an author for all the times I blindly sent my manuscript into cyberspace, to not even have the crickets respond.

4). “Man Clamors For The Freedom To Express Himself And For Knowing S/he Counts. But Once Offered These Conditions, S/he Becomes Frightened.”–Robert C. Murphy
“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us,” Marianne Williamson said that. The fact is, we all have more choice than we want to believe. We don’t have to go to work. We don’t have to get out of bed. We don’t have to do anything we don’t want too. Faced with the crushing consequences of said choices, most of us either capitulate or become paralyzed. Those of us who maximize the possibilities become household names.

3). “Don’t Speak Unless You Can Improve The Silence.”–Jorge Luis Borgas
The ability to remain silent in a crowd of people who can’t stop talking is an indication of peace in your own mind (some of you laughed at that notion). Make your words mean something. Speak when you have something to say, rather than trying to fill silence.

2). “You Can’t Build A Reputation On What You’re Trying To Do.”–Henry Ford
This took me a moment to wrap my head around. No one cares about what you’re doing. They only care about what you’ve done.

1). “Socialism Never Took Root In America Because The Poor See Themselves Not As An Exploited Proletariat But As Temporarily Embarrassed Billionaires.”–John Steinbeck
This hit on so many levels that I had to read it multiple times to take it in. This speaks to pride, arrogance, a lack of humility, and other things. This is about seeing things as they are, rather than as you’d like them to be. What you see as a bestseller others see as first-draft drivel. The truth may be somewhere in the middle. Strive for your dreams, by all means, but make sure you have a decent reality check in there somewhere.

Both of Guy Kawasaki’s Art of the Start’s are available at both bookstores and libraries everywhere. They are very much worth your time and I suggest adding both to your library.

Thanks for reading.

Avery K. Tingle is a scifi/fantasy author currently residing in the Las Vegas area. Owned by two cats, he is passionate about social justice, Star Wars, and mental health. Connect to his award-winning writing and social media here.