Quotes About Writing

At a Boston signing, someone from the audience asked why I was so obsessed with furniture in my books. The question rattled around in my head. I had no idea that I was obsessed with furniture.

Even to be flown out to New York was mind boggling for me, and signing with Columbia was great because they really understood my vision. Of all the labels that I met, they were the ones that really seemed to understand that I was really about the music, the writing, and the lyrics, so it was really fulfilling to sign with them.

There's nothing like meeting a girl at a signing and her telling me that she loves reading now, and she's even writing her own stories.

Some comics have long routines to get them in the mood - I just prefer to sit down, write out the same jokes in a different order and then have a little prayer that I won't be met by silence.

I write best late at night, when everyone in the house has gone to bed. There's something magical about that late night silence that appeals to me.

I have music on when I write. I don't like the isolation otherwise and find the silence deadening.

I need complete silence when I write.

Decide where and when you want to write. I like space, and silence is an inspiration to me.

For that reason you can't write with music playing, and anyone who says he can is either writing badly, or not listening to the music, or lying. You need to hear what you're writing, and for that you need silence.

I don't listen to music when I write. I need silence.

I don't listen to music when I write. I need silence so I can hear the sound of the words.

I've held my silence when I probably shouldn't have. But I was in the minority, a woman writing SF, and I was afraid of career backlash. I was afraid of being excluded or losing opportunities if I didn't play nice.

I can't imagine writing a novel without some sound. When you're facing a few hundred blank pages, silence can be cold.

I think the silences we have on some issues are inductive of the fact that we need to write about them more, but I think there are some issues you have to write in a sensitive way and in a way that respects the reality of the situation. If you can't do that, you should leave them alone.

Each book I write is a shout into the silence and a prayer and a plea for change.

What can't be said can be written. Because writing is a silent act, a labor from the head to the hand.

People ask me, 'What do you do?' And I tell them I'm a writer, but always with the silent reservation, 'I am, of course, not really a writer. Hemingway was a writer.'

I was a real mess at school. I got a bit of a reputation for being the weird girl: the girl who'd go silent randomly and just kind of write down replies to people's questions in a book.

You gotta trust your artist. I love writing pages without dialogue, which seems weird, I guess. But few things are as powerful in comics as a really strong silent page.

I watched a lot of silent movies. It's a very specific way of writing, which is more of a challenge than the directing. You have to describe images. It's easier to shoot them.

I can't write when it's silent. But the music can't have lyrics.

When people write comedy from neutrality, it just gets kind of silly.

I want to write something so simple, so short and so silly... and I want it to be for my brother.

I think most Hollywood meetings are silly and I truly despise pitching. It's insane to expect someone to come in and tell you the story before they've written it, and buying an idea from someone who can explain it rather than write it is like choosing a mechanic based on his ability to draw a picture of your car's problem.