Quotes about Fiction Writers

I started in this racket in the early '70s, and when I was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, of which I was like the sixth president, I was the first one nobody ever heard of. Votes: 3

Science fiction writers aren't fortune tellers. Fortune tellers are fakes. Votes: 2

Many fiction writers who put the science in don't get it right. Votes: 2

The dilemma felt by science fiction writers will be perceived in other creative endeavors. Votes: 2

Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not. Votes: 2

I've always loved science fiction. I think the smartest writers are science fiction writers dealing with major things. Votes: 2

I go to readings by fiction writers like Alice Walker, and I'm envious of the level of attention they generate. Votes: 2

Stories are not explanations of the world we live in. Science does that, and math does that. Our obligation as fiction writers is to enhance the mysteries. Votes: 2

That's what fiction writers do: create characters and do terrible things to them for the entertainment of others. If they feel guilty enough, they write happy endings. Votes: 2

That's the thing about fiction writers: what seems alarming or particular or perverse about them is simply the shape of their brain - they cannot be otherwise. Votes: 2

A writer's obligation is to invent: to go beyond what did happen and to look at what could have happened but didn't. Fiction writers are born liars. Votes: 2

I wonder if it's in the nature of fiction writers to never quite see their own lives as 'real,' since we are always making stuff up! Votes: 2

New fiction writers are a special breed in my estimation, and I never dreamed that so many people would be interested, but I remember being led by God. Votes: 2

I love science fiction. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I love a lot of science fiction writers. William Gibson is one of my favorite writers. Votes: 2

I think fiction writers should work. If you have a job and are not living off advances or grants, you never have to make concessions in your writing, ever. Votes: 2

I think songwriters are more related to fiction writers. The Odyssey was a story in song. To me, that's so beautiful, all those painted characters, all those travels and adventures. Votes: 2

Many fiction writers write for the critics or for themselves; they forget the common reader. I never do. I don't think journalism clashes with my fiction; on the contrary, it helps enormously. Votes: 2

Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything. We can't talk about science, because our knowledge of it is limited and unofficial, and usually our fiction is dreadful. Votes: 2

I actually very rarely see comedy myself, and although I admire the work of some comics, it does come from all over, so I'll get a charge out of some fiction writers and poets. Votes: 2

The novelist's obligation to remake the sensuous texture of a vanished world is also the historian's. The strongest fiction writers often do deep research to make the thought and utterances of lost time credible. Votes: 2

I think that there are fiction writers for whom that works well. I could never do it. I feel as if, by the time I see that it's a poem, it's almost written in my head somewhere. Votes: 2

However far fiction writers stray from their own lives and experiences - and I stray pretty far from mine - I think, ultimately, that we may be writing what we need to write in some way, albeit unconsciously. Votes: 2

Maybe the search for life shouldn't restrict attention to planets like Earth. Science fiction writers have other ideas: balloon-like creatures floating in the dense atmospheres of planets such as Jupiter, swarms of intelligent insects, nano-scale robots and more. Votes: 2

It cannot be said often enough that science fiction as a genre is incredibly educational - and I'm speaking the written science fiction, not 'Star Trek.' Science fiction writers tend to fill their books if they're clever with little bits of interesting stuff and real stuff. Votes: 2

We sat around on a hotel balcony with a bottle of wine and tried to figure out how you would go about blowing up a planet. That's the kind of conversations science fiction writers have when they get together. We don't talk about football or anything like that. Votes: 2

I've seen a lot of the United States, having stayed in so many different cities and towns for work. It's such a strange and fascinating country, and instead of learning about it through a textbook, I would rather discover its history and traditions and institutions through fiction and nonfiction writers. Votes: 2

I read somewhere once that in the 1960s, fiction writers were troubled by the notion that life was becoming stranger and more sensational than made-up stories could ever hope to be. Our new problem - more profound, I think - is that life no longer resembles a story. Events intersect but don't progress. People interact but don't make contact. Votes: 2

Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it. Votes: 0

Fiction writers can’t be trusted. They make things up. Votes: 0

The most underrated of all contemporary American writers of fiction. Votes: 0

Too many writers of fiction don't give the reader enough credit. Votes: 0

Some of the best fiction writers got their start writing airline menus. Votes: 0

I think poets are much more dramatic, more theatrical than fiction writers. Votes: 0

Many fiction writers who put the science in dont get it right. Votes: 0

When fiction writers like my poems I feel like I've hit the jackpot. Votes: 0

Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything. Votes: 0

Writers, at least writers of fiction, are always full of anxiety and worry. Votes: 0

Science fiction writers missed the most salient feature of our modern era: the Internet. Votes: 0

I can list on one hand the famous science fiction writers I never met. Votes: 0

Writers of fiction, when they begin, are more likely to try the short form Votes: 0

Writers of fiction, when they begin, are more likely to try the short form. Votes: 0

Many fiction writers eventually want to feel that their work forms a single, unified entity. Votes: 0

I think speculative fiction has fewer unspoken prerequisites than literary fiction for writers of color. Votes: 0

One of the most subtle and powerful writers of dark fiction - a unique voice. Votes: 0

You know, as fiction writers, if our instincts are off, we can't pay our bills. Votes: 0

I think that writers of literary fiction would do well to read more books for children. Votes: 0

I lay off a lot modern fiction and only rely on living writers for non-fiction work. Votes: 0

There's a perilous word fiction writers need to watch out for. The word is 'had.' Votes: 0

The only people who have the long view are some scientists and some science fiction writers. Votes: 0

Science fiction writers put characters into a world with arbitrary rules and work out what happens. Votes: 0

My liking for Scandinavian crime fiction led me into exploring literary writers from the same countries. Votes: 0

Writers do draw inspiration from their own lives, which, quite frankly, might be more interesting than fiction. Votes: 0

Fact is often stranger than fiction because most writers of fiction try to make their stories plausible. Votes: 0

Well you can't believe everything you read. After all, by definition, fiction writers lie for a living. Votes: 0

Steve Mosby has become one of a handful of writers who make me excited about crime fiction. Votes: 0

There is a very conservative element of crime writers that don't recognise what I do is crime fiction. Votes: 0

The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers Votes: 0

Writers of fiction should stick to writing, not pop up on panel shows or as a talking head. Votes: 0

Outlines are the last resource of bad fiction writers who wish to God they were writing masters' theses. Votes: 0

The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers. Votes: 0

I think fan fiction is the way most writers start, and the same goes for music and design. Votes: 0

Science fiction is the only genre that enables African writers to envision a future from our African perspective. Votes: 0

My generation of young female writers discovered that we could dictate the form and content of our own fiction. Votes: 0

The triumph of writing fiction is that by doing so, writers can build a more ideal world in themselves. Votes: 0

Most crime fiction, no matter how 'hard-boiled' or bloodily forensic, is essentially sentimental, for most crime writers are disappointed romantics. Votes: 0

The subject of feminism cannot be purely a fiction, as some postmodern writers suggest, produced by the discourses of power. Votes: 0

Delaying and withholding tactics, red herrings, partial and doubtful outcomes are stock in trade for fiction writers, especially crime writers. Votes: 0

I think fiction writers write what they do because no one else has written it and they want to read it. Votes: 0

I give this book 5 Stars and highly recommend it to all fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers, aspiring writers, bloggers or journalists. Votes: 0

I read pretty eclectically - fiction, non-fiction, and poetry - and I've been inspired and influenced by a number of writers. Votes: 0

All writers have roots they draw from - travel, work, family. My roots are in science and it is fertile ground for fiction. Votes: 0

I'm in love. And I like how that feels. And I hate how that feels. Because love is an invention of fiction writers. Votes: 0

It's a scary thing for fiction writers, when you're always writing from the point of view both as and for someone who is different. Votes: 0

There are no such things as happy endings. Never. They're totally manufactured by fiction writers who choose to end the story on a high point. Votes: 0

I've always loved science fiction. I think the smartest writers are science fiction writers dealing with major things." – Associated Press interview, 12-7-11 Votes: 0

Fiction is risky for writers also in that the process of making certain books, of shaping certain narratives, leaves scars and marks on your inner life. Votes: 0

I think the deepest thing is that many fiction writers tell stories but are not elegant writers. But, we're not writing journalism when we're making literature. Votes: 0

I believe that, like most writers, my personality comes through in the fiction. So in that respect my writing can't be like any other author's really. Votes: 0

I'm an ecumenical reader, grew up with all sorts of fiction, teach writing, went to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, so my tastes and interests are broad. Votes: 0

It is important not to force a character into something. Fiction writers can be too controlling - usually that's a terror of our own unconscious processes. Votes: 0

When I think about writers who use fiction as social commentary and to raise social awareness but who are also very popular, I think of Dickens. Votes: 0

Arnošt Lustig is one of the leading contemporary Czech fiction writers, and certainly the most important Jewish writer of Bohemia to have survived the Holocaust. Votes: 0

There are writers who draw immediate attention to the fact that it's fiction. And I like some of that, but it doesn't really have the power... Votes: 0

All writers of fiction will at some point find themselves abandoning a piece of work - or find themselves putting it aside, as we gently say. Votes: 0

Here's a quick rule of thumb: Don't annoy science fiction writers. These are people who destroy entire planets before lunch. Think of what they'll do to you. Votes: 0

I think film had a terrible effect on horror fiction particularly in the 80s, with certain writers turning out stuff as slick and cliched as Hollywood movies. Votes: 0

I understand that postmodern literature probably means people like DeLillo, The Fiction Collective, but I don't get it that those writers are really influenced by postmodern theorists. Votes: 0

My writing process is ritualized and monotonous, but there's no other way to get the job done. All other fiction writers I've met say the same thing. Votes: 0

Much to my surprise, there's a sense for people in the cable industry that fiction writers might actually be good at script writing. You can write dialogue! Votes: 0

Sex and death, the magnetic poles of fiction, attract us children's writers no less than adult authors, but we have to be more leery of their pull. Votes: 0

In some ways all of my fiction is like a conversation I'm having with the writers I read when I was first falling in love with books. Votes: 0

New fiction writers are a special breed in my estimation, and I never dreamed that so many people would be interested, but I remember being led by God Votes: 0

I'm really aware that in fiction, women are pretty much equal. There's a lot of very successful women novelists. Not so much [for women writers working] in film. Votes: 0

I'm such a huge fan of fan fiction, to me it's a great way for readers to become writers. It's like putting the training wheels on for writing. Votes: 0

In fiction writing, I would say there are several different strands that have been woven through my own writing, and each influenced by a different group of writers. Votes: 0

I love contemporary North American fiction and short fiction. My favorite writer is Jonathan Franzen, and my favorite writers of short fiction are George Saunders and Alice Munro. Votes: 0

Futurism today is led by science-fiction writers, by sociologists, by historians. Now, I have nothing against them. I'm sure they do great work. But they're not scientists. They're clueless. Votes: 0

Like a lot of writers, I just got sick to death of conventional fiction. I absolutely couldn't stand the illusion of reality and plot. I just couldn't stomach it. Votes: 0

In terms of writing, I think what most fiction writers treasure more than anything is the feeling that they're living for the length of a book inside another person. Votes: 0

When I was in high school and college, my other real focus was, actually, fiction writing. So in college, I had done all these seminars with these various writers-in-residence. Votes: 0

I can't recommend technical writing as a day job for fiction writers because it's going to be hard to write all day and then come home and write fiction. Votes: 0

There's always been a little bit of tension between the writers of science fiction literature and then science-fiction televised shows or movies, partly because they have a different dynamic. Votes: 0

I was looking at a lot of experimental writers, and I was very intrigued by short-short fiction, writers who would write little things, what I call buttons now, little vignettes. Votes: 0

I am conscious of trying to stretch the boundaries of non-fiction writing. It's always surprised me how little attention many non-fiction writers pay to the formal aspects of their work. Votes: 0

I've always felt that no one understands why some books of non-fiction endure and some don't, because there's not much understanding among many non-fiction writers that the narrative is terribly important. Votes: 0

Fiction writers are strange beasts. They are, like all writers, observers first and foremost. Everything that happens to and around them is potential material for a story, and they look at it that way. Votes: 0

Most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do—not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad. Votes: 0

Women don't want to exchange places with men. Male chauvinists, science-fiction writers and comedians may favor that idea for its shock value, but psychologists say it is a fantasy based on ruling-class ego and guilt. Votes: 0