Quotes About Writing

Complete it-you cannot sell an unfinished book.

The transformative novelist J. K. Rowling has confessed to having "a distinct lack of motivation at university," her undistinguished record the result of spending "far too long in the coffee bar writing stories and far too little time at lectures.

The son of Mark Twain recounted that his father paced while he worked: "Some of the time when dictating, Father walked the floor . . . then it always seemed as if a new spirit had flown into the room."24 Bill Gates is a pacer, too. "It helps him organize his mind and see what others can't see," says his wife, Melinda.

y en cuanto a asegurarme la vida, sería muy difícil: fumo demasiado escribo demasiado amo demasiado

Trust me, I have never written a speech in my life, and if I have my way, I never will.

choosing words is harder than I thought.

If we had to say what writing is, we would have to define it essentially as an act of courage.

A writer is dreamed and transfigured into being by spells, wishes, goldfish, silhouettes of trees, boxes of fairy tales dropped in the mud, uncles' and cousins' books, tablets and capsules and powders...and then one day you find yourself leaning here, writing on that round glass table salvaged from the Park View Pharmacy--writing this, an impossibility, a summary of who you came to be where you are now, and where, God knows, is that?

I read in desperate snatches in the interstices of the Quotidian, and dream of finding three uninterrupted quiet hours to think, moon, mentally maunder, and, above all, write. I am pursued by an anti-Muse; her name is Life. Her homely multisyllabic surname is often left unenunciated, but to certain initiates it may be whispered: Exigency.

I write in terror...I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence, sometimes every syllable.

The novella will be called, I think, "The Messiah of Stockholm." It takes place in Stockholm. I'd better say no more, or the Muse will wipe it out.

Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once.

Never will I make that extra effort to live according to reality which alone makes good writing possible: hence the manic-depressiveness of my style,—which is either bright, cruel and superficial; or pessimistic; moth-eaten with self-pity

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." - "Meglio scrivere per se stessi e non avere un pubblico piuttosto che scrivere per gli altri e non essere se stessi".

In writing, we cannot help but wonder whether our work will help people or harm them. The truth can never harm. That is certain.

Literature is a toil and a snare, a curse that bites deep.

The idea of writing down one's difficulties and perplexities is not a new one. Great men have found it valuable in clearing their minds and helping them to wise and deliberate judgment—why shouldn't I, in my smaller way, find a solution to my difficulties in the same manner?

I'll read it," he said, smiling. " But you needn't worry. As long as you write about things that interest you your books will interest other people. Just keep on writing. Don't stop.

Tim says he never suggested a historical romance. If I did write one nobody would read it. But why not try my hand at a detective story – a thriller with a murder and buried treasure, etc. – he will help me with it if I like.

The idea of writing down one's difficulties and perplexities is not a new one. Great men have found it valuable in clearing their minds and helping them to wise and deliberate judgment—why shouldn't I, in my smaller way, find a solution to my difficulties in the same manner? My mind needs clearing, God knows, and if pen and paper will help me to clear it, I shall not grudge the time or the labor involved.

I like to write when I feel spiteful. It is like having a good sneeze." ( Letter to Cynthia Asquith , November 1913)

I believe that stories find writers, writers don't find stories. With the 'Pendragon' series, I actually had multiple story ideas and decided that instead of writing them individually, I would create a character whose journey would thread them all together.

When I'm on tour, I get to meet hundreds of enthusiastic readers. There is truly nothing better for an author than having someone come up to them and say, "I loved your book." For that, I'll take off my shoes at airport x-rays and sit cramped in an airline seat for hours with nothing to eat but a tiny bag of peanuts. It's totally worth it. Writing

When you write, it's just a much more crystalline, compressed version of the voice you think with - though not the one you speak with. I think your writing voice is your laser-guided missile. It's the poetry part of you.