Quotes About Writing

It's every man for himself," he said, and went back to reading. After my mother had died and he'd been laid off from his machinist job over in Milton, he'd retreated into near silence and the print reality of other worlds. Connection was tough for him and only getting tougher as he aged. Maggie asked me once if the reason I wanted to become a writer was to somehow make contact with him.

Write non-fiction like fiction, so the reader is constantly turning the page to find out what happens next, and write fiction like non-fiction, so that when your character walks out of the donut shop and turns left into the nunnery, there really is a nunnery next door and not a muffler shop.

When people ask me how I write, I always answer, "Out loud." It's the single most important piece of advice I give young writers. I insist, unequivocally, the greatest works that have every been written were – every one of them – written out loud. Learn that trick, teach yourself to listen to what you're writing, and your writing will improve immeasurably.

Purple prose attracts attention more than converts.

but I am big on getting clear on, and writing down, all the income possibilities, expenses, projections, target market, etc., for your business. Which you can do on one or two pages. The simpler the better.

this book. It takes a village to raise a child, which is precisely what writing a novel is. If I have

I had always loved to write and my mom was my editor for my school papers.

I was sports editor for my high school newspaper, but I think I shied away from journalism.

I hope to continue writing. I hope to continue teaching.

I think I've become more like my mom just because of what we're both interested in, children and teaching and writing.

It has been said, "History is written by the victors." I take this to mean we can make ourselves victorious by writing, and then rewriting our own stories. In a country and culture so dominated by media, by the manipulation of words and stories, telling the tales of people whose stories historically have not been told is a radical act and I believe an act that can change the world and help rewrite history.

You should spend more time reading the Good Book and less reading all those novels. What are you going to tell the Lord on Judgement Day when He asks you why you didn't read your bible? Hmm?" I will tell Him that His press agents could have done with a writing lesson or two, I said. To myself.

Writers are damned liars. Every single one of them.

Why do you write?' Because I love words and stories so much. Because I would be grief stricken every day of my life if I couldn't write. Because I'm obsessed and compelled. Because I'd be utterly useless at anything else.

Yet I had such joy from the words.

And it's time you learnd there's a big difference between your writing and your life. To do it right, your witing takes an incredible amount of work. Your life takes more.

Why are you pretending to write, when I already know you're just doing that to intimidate me?

We're not talking about your life. We're talking about your writing. Your imagination. Your creativity. And it's time you learned there's a big difference between your writing and your life. To do it right, your writing takes an incredible amount of work. Your life takes more.

But, Erin. If you are trying to make a writing career for yourself, you will get rejected again and again and again. You must keep going. You must learn not to take no for an answer.

Yes, I was good at reading people. I studied them so I could put them in my novels.

I feel like I've been through a lot in the past couple of years, But I've kept pretty stable. That's because I channel that emotion into performance. I can handle emotion as long as it's only a song. It works for me, and I don't want to change it. I don't have anything left for writing.

If I'd been you and Manohar had said those things about my first story, I would have knocked his block off." All of this was said with a jovial smile on his cherubic face.

What do you write in those forms?" I asked. "Nothing. I just do this to look threatening.

I haven't had trouble with writer's block. I think it's because my process involves writing very badly. My first drafts are filled with lurching, clichéd writing, outright flailing around. Writing that doesn't have a good voice or any voice. But then there will be good moments. It seems writer's block is often a dislike of writing badly and waiting for writing better to happen.