Quotes About Authorship

When I'm in full-on writing mode and have the day, I try to get in my office around 10 A.M. and stop once 'Judge Judy' comes on at 4, when I quit and come down. Sometimes, I leave her on while I edit - if she can make the tough calls, then so can I.

My job involves searching for 'lost' quotations - that is, trying to find out who came up with a quotable saying that lingers in someone's mind and which they wish to use for their own purpose and which they cannot find in conventional dictionaries of quotation.

I'm not going to give quotes about inventing the 'beach book,' but I was certainly at the forefront of it.

I write for free online out of love, passion, and often, rage.

My dad never really wrote what he thought. None of his inner rage and darkness and problems, which we all have, made it on to the page. For him, writing was a process of making everything appear funny.

Me writing 'Black Rainbow' was me alone in a windowless room going insane.

In a crazy way, writing is a lot like any kind of very complex game - like chess, where you have the knowledge as you're composing all of the ramifications of each move, of each choice you make.

If I'm on the road for Random House, I'm presenting a book with the hope people will buy it.

The funny thing is that I feel close to all my characters. Deep, deep inside them all.

When Truman Capote wrote from the perspective of condemned murderers from a lower economic class than his own, he had some gall. But writing fiction takes gall.

I was about 28-29 when I wrote my first story, and that was called 'The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.'

I generally write a first draft that's pretty lean. Just get the story down.

Until the 20th century it was generally assumed that a writer had said what he had to say in his works.

I think every writer wants future generations to read what he has written.

Very first thing in the morning, I spew some rough genius directly on to the laptop. Then I have coffee and rewrite for three hours.

I don't write to a genre.

I love the essay. It's my favorite genre to work in.

I don't really think about genre. I like to write books that I'd love to read myself.

Basically, I just write whatever story grabs me rather than considering the genre.

When I started writing, it felt good, and I knew I was in the right genre.

I have written in a lot of genres, that's true, and I'm not sure it's always served my career well.

I didn't mean to spend my life writing American history, which should have been taught in the schools, but I saw no alternative but to taking it on myself. I could think of a lot of cheerier things I'd rather be doing than analyzing George Washington and Aaron Burr. But it came to pass, that was my job, so I did it.

And I'm a huge George R. R. Martin fan.

I am so excited to announce that I have written a book. I have actually written it myself with no ghost writer, just me! I never thought it would be possible but I have done it.