Quotes About Writing

I've never thought about the ages of my readers.

I'm looking forward to coming to SleuthFest I've heard so many good things about it from my writer friends. I'm looking forward to seeing my buddies and talking to readers who want to know about the way I work.

I don't write the kind of 'happily ever after' that romance readers enjoy.

I think all writers are mainly writing for themselves because I believe that most writers are writing based on a need to write. But at the same time, I feel that writers are, of course, writing for their readers, too.

I made a decision to write for my readers, not to try to find more readers for my writing.

I offer optimism. All my books have happy endings. I don't see any point in letting my readers down at the end. I'm an optimist - people feel that in my books.

I find my readers to be very smart, and there is no reason to write dumb.

I'm proud of what I write and feel endorsed by my readers.

It's interesting that so many books now are published as the first in a series. It never occurred to me. Although 'The Giver' does have an ambiguous ending. I've heard about that from readers over the years.

A playwright must be his own audience. A novelist may lose his readers for a few pages; a playwright never dares lose his audience for a minute.

Readers are paramount. I live to write books for them.

I believe it is important to speak to your readers in person... to enable people to have a whole picture of me; I have to both write and speak. I view my role as writer and also as oral communicator.

Readers are what it's all about, aren't they? If not, why am I writing?

I have been writing for 50 years and readers still read my first book from when I was in the Marine Corps.

One can't write for all readers. A poet cannot write for people who don't like poetry.

Readers always seem to think that the author has some control over the design of their books.

I do have to earn a living, so I'm conscious of probable reactions from readers, but the most important one is still the awareness that if I'm not enjoying a story, the reader won't either.

I did not know at first that it would be a series; I discovered after the first novel that I had more to say about it, so I did another. And another, and then the readers demanded yet more.

Critics have a problem with sentimentality. Readers do not. I write for readers.

All prizes have a role, if they are run with integrity and with a clear focus on reading and quality writing. I don't think any of them is necessary, but they all play an incredibly important role in building a body of literature, in introducing new authors to new readers, and extending reading.

As writers we must, from our very opening sentence, speak with authority to our readers.

I really try to focus on my books and readers.

So long as readers keep reading and my publishers keep publishing, I plan to keep on writing. I'd have to be an idiot to be burnt-out in this job.

If you write genre fiction, you follow the rules, and you have to follow them because readers expect that.