The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words. Votes: 6
William H. GassA short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it. Votes: 4
Edgar Allan PoeWriting is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. Votes: 4
Jules RenardThe essence of drama is that man cannot walk away from the consequences of his own deeds. Votes: 4
Harold HayesNature's chief masterpiece is writing well. Votes: 0
John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and NormanbyWith drawing, I am acutely aware of creating something on a sheet of paper. It is a sensual act, which you cannot say about the act of writing. In fact, I often turn to drawing to recover from the writing. Votes: 7 Gunter Grass
Listen, a cable series is a beautiful thing because there's such amazing writing happening on television, and it's a schedule that allows you to do a play or two. There's a reason everybody wants that job! Votes: 4 Lily Rabe
Words are so often used in the opposite sense, as a screen of diversion. It's the struggle towards truthfulness which is the same whether one is writing a poem, a novel or an argument. Votes: 2 John Berger
There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing. Votes: 4 Clarence Day
If a reporter doesn't like the person he's writing about, it shows up in his article. Votes: 1 Willie Stargell
You have to hold your audience in writing to the very end-much more than in talking, when people have to be polite and listen to you. Votes: 3 Brenda Ueland
I think finally good writing gets out there, and people like it, and bad writing doesn't. Well, no. Bad writing does get out there 'cause some people like it. Votes: 4 Robert B. Parker
The movies that work are the ones in which somebody very smart figured out how to take all the thematic material, all the character material, all the filigree, all the beautiful writing, and put it into a story. Votes: 7 Scott Rudin
Writing a TV show is totally different than writing features, or just, what I started doing is writing features. You write a little bit more organically. You start from the beginning to the end, beginning, middle and end. Votes: 2 David Labrava
I plan less and less. It's a great benefit of writing lots, that you get good at holding long narratives in your head like a virtual space. Votes: 1 Jonathan Lethem
There is a tradition that sees journalism as the dark side of literature, with book writing at its zenith. I don't agree. I think that all written work constitutes literature, even graffiti. Votes: 1 Eduardo Galeano
On the simplest level, telecommuting makes it harder for people to have the kinds of informal interactions that are crucial to the way knowledge moves through an organization. The role that hallway chat plays in driving new ideas has become a cliche of business writing, but that doesn't make it less true. Votes: 3 James Surowiecki
Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other. Votes: 3 William Zinsser
I wake up fairly early every day, by 8, for sure. Sunday is a lighter writing day than the weekdays, but I still wake up and write for about an hour, beginning right around 8. I definitely have coffee first, and then I start writing. I do think it's kind of hard to get the right level of concentration without coffee. Votes: 1 Karen Thompson Walker
I like high school and college writing textbooks and find them very helpful. Whenever I'm stuck and seem to have no ideas, I open one up and turn to the back. There I'll find questions like, "Have you had any experiences with an alcoholic or a sailor?" Votes: 3 David Sedaris
All I knew was that I was writing something out of my very guts, and that I was content. Votes: 1 Winston Graham
After all these years of cooking and writing recipes, I am still amazed every time I notice how even the minutest of variation in technique can make a spectacular difference. Votes: 3 Yotam Ottolenghi
Read and write with a sensitive ear. The craft of writing is very important. Practice the craft. Votes: 4 Henry Petroski
I don't know much about creative writing programs. But they're not telling the truth if they don't teach, one, that writing is hard work, and, two, that you have to give up a great deal of life, your personal life, to be a writer. Votes: 5 Doris Lessing
The process of writing, any form of creativity, is a power intensifying life. Votes: 0 Rita Mae Brown
Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writing by the necessity of maintaining the professional standing of the critic. Votes: 3 Raymond Chandler
After a summer trip to Switzerland, which was rich in experiences, I started writing. In the beginning, I aimed at descriptions of nature and folk life until, as the years passed, the description of man became my chief interest. Votes: 1 Henrik Pontoppidan
Changing writing styles is like an actor taking on a different part. Votes: 1 Evan Hunter
The difficulty of writing a good theatre play set in new reality was even greater given that the level of similitude to life that is allowed in a film would not work on the stage. Votes: 5 Andrzej Wajda
Everyone my age had written a novel and I was still having difficulty writing a paragraph. Votes: 3 Ernest Hemingway
In dramatic writing, the very essence is character change. The character at the end is not the same as he was at the beginning. He's changed-psychologically, maybe even physically. Votes: 4 Robert Towne
I could start with Mandelstam, who was a huge influence on my early writing. Votes: 4 Helen Dunmore
I hate writing texts to girlfriends because you can't really see emotions in texts. You can get confused on what she says. Votes: 2 Theophilus London
In writing, I search for believability, simplicity and emotional impact. Votes: 2 Hal David
My father said writing was a nice hobby. He strongly encouraged my brother and me to become doctors. Votes: 2 Tess Gerritsen
Lyric writing is an interesting process in Sonic Youth. There's three people writing now, and we've all had a lot of interest and involvement with expression through words. Votes: 1 Thurston Moore
The newspaper is, in fact, very bad for one's prose style. That's why I gravitated towards feature stories where you get a little more leeway in the writing style. Votes: 2 Tom Wolfe
Fiction writing is great. You can make up almost anything. Votes: 4 Ivana Trump
I almost never do free writing. Unless I am forcing my students to do it. Votes: 3 Rachel Zucker
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. Votes: 4 E. L. Doctorow
It goes without saying that a good Catholic novel should be good craftsmanship, good writing skills. The creative person must always be engaged in the long labor of perfecting the tools of his art. Yet the work itself need not be explicitly evangelical in its themes and plots. Votes: 5 Michael O'Brien
Great writing is great writing. It's as simple as all that. Votes: 6 Kate Mulgrew
For decades, as literary editor, I have followed the growth of our creative writing in English. In my Solidaridad Bookshop, half of my stock consists of Filipino books written in English and in the native languages. Votes: 1 F. Sionil Jose
All historical writing, even the most honest, is unconsciously subjective, since every age is bound, in spite of itself, to make the dead perform whatever tricks it finds necessary for its own peace of mind. Votes: 3 Carl Lotus Becker
The holy spirit means the invisible power of Jehovah, holy because he is holy. This power of Jehovah operated upon the minds of honest men who loved and who were devoted to righteousness, directing them in the writing of the Bible. Votes: 1 Joseph Franklin Rutherford
Honest criticism, I suppose, has its place. But honest writing is infinitely more valuable. Votes: 4 Rachel Cusk
I have grown in my writing and I care about it now and I know how important it is to write stuff. Votes: 1 Charles King
I am in the Master of Professional Writing program teaching Humor Writing, Literary and Dramatic. Votes: 3 Shelley Berman
I suppose I have an active imagination, and writing allows me to live it out. Votes: 2 Richard Paul Evans
For Stevie, the words are of prime importance; the song moves around the words, rather than the words moving around the song. Votes: 1 Christine McVie
I admired what my students were writing, but I think their improvement doesn't directly result from me but from being in a class, being with each other. Votes: 1 Thom Gunn
When Maurice touched a keyboard, it was like something from a movie, magical. He would always give you something from a movie, and you'd go, what did you just play... immediately inspirational writings, amazing. That's what we're going to miss. Votes: 3 Robin Gibb
When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. Votes: 2 Ernest Hemingway
Millions of people are joined in the knowledge that writing brings insight and calm in the same way that prayer, meditation, or a long walk in the woods does. They have discovered that writing allows the racing mind to move at the pace of pen and paper or the pace of typing on the waiting screen - that journal writing is a spiritual practice. Votes: 3 Christina Baldwin
My mother was a journalist, so writing is not unnatural to me. Votes: 2 Ginger Rogers
Poets deal in writing about feelings and trying to find the language and images for intense feelings. Votes: 2 Carol Ann Duffy
I started writing songs when I started learning guitar. Votes: 2 Courtney Barnett
There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content. Votes: 4 Fred Rodell
I like writing letters and receiving letters. It's a shame that we've lost the art of letter-writing and saving correspondence. I mourn that. Votes: 5 Elizabeth McGovern
Writing detective stories is about writing light literature, for entertainment. It isn't primarily a question of writing propaganda or classical literature. Votes: 1 Stieg Larsson
I've always been a fan of plain writing. I hate metaphor-laden, heavily larded, lyrical writing. Votes: 3 Hank Azaria
So writing became a way to get to act in things that I thought were meaningful, and hopefully write stronger roles for other women. Votes: 1 Brit Marling
I entered the literary world, really, from outside. My entire background has been in sciences; I was a biology major in college, then went to medical school. I've never had any formal training in writing. Votes: 1 Khaled Hosseini
I don't know where the idea originated that memoir writing is cathartic. For me, it's always felt like playing my own neurosurgeon, sans anesthesia. Votes: 3 Koren Zailckas
I went to school in Gainesville because it was a huge punk and folk town. So I went to class twice a week, and then I went to shows and wrote. I did a lot of music writing before I actually started playing music. Votes: 3 Benjamin Booker
Indeed, if "biology is chemistry with history," as somebody has said, then nature writing is biology with love. Votes: 3 Edward Hoagland
If your opponent is short (on time), play just as you played earlier in the game. If you are short keep calm, I repeat, don't get flustered. Keep up the same neat writing of the moves, the same methodical examination of variations, but at a quicker rate. Votes: 3 Alexander Kotov
Unfortunately, most news writing is the product of a first draft culture. Votes: 3 Michael Gartner
I'm most honest about writing when I'm talking to family or friends, not to newspapers. Votes: 2 Zadie Smith
NaNo[ National Novel Writing Month] is an awesome opportunity to stretch your writing muscles and gives you permission to write in a way you probably wouldn't do in a normal circumstance. Votes: 4 Michelle J. Howard
The amount of writing that people do online is astonishing, and historically unprecedented. Votes: 1 Clive Thompson
Writing is my therapy. In addition to my real therapy. God knows where I'd be without it. I'd probably still be at my last job, working in HR at a religious organization. I was horribly miscast. Votes: 1 Jenny Lawson
My writing process isn't a very organized thing. Votes: 2 Chuck Palahniuk
There's no such thing as perfect writing, just like there's no such thing as perfect despair. Votes: 6 Haruki Murakami
Southern poets are still writing narrative poems, poems in forms, dramatic poems. Votes: 2 Robert Morgan
I love teaching poetry writing. Students come into the class thinking poetry has to be one way, then leave having created pieces that are wholly original, that have - quite literally - never been made before. Votes: 3 Cate Marvin
Any suggestion that I'm writing about political operatives because I'm interested in political operatives misses the entire point. Votes: 4 Bob Woodward
I read 'The Conspiracy Against the Human Race' and found it incredibly powerful writing. For me as a reader, it was less impactful as philosophy than as one writer's ultimate confessional: an absolute horror story, where the self is the monster. Votes: 6 Nic Pizzolatto
I don't want boys to use their pencils for improper writing. Votes: 3 John Burns
I spent as much time writing proposals in '98 and '99 as I did writing scripts. Votes: 1 Mark Millar
I have a different purpose in writing each novel. Some of them seem more similar than others, but the purposes are always different. Votes: 3 Jesse Ball
The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! Votes: 3 Bill Watterson
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. Votes: 3 Kate Mosse
I've included these little jokes and mysteries in my writing for the amusement of readers. Votes: 1 Armistead Maupin
The thing that makes reading and writing suspect in the eyes of the market economy is that it's not corrupted. Votes: 7 Richard Powers
I still can't decide which is more fun - reading or writing. Votes: 4 Rex Stout
When you're writing a story in bits and pieces, month in and month out, there really isn't time or space for reflection, no room to learn what those scripts had to teach you. Votes: 1 J. Michael Straczynski
Africans and persons of African descent must assume the primary responsibility and leadership in historical research....if we are to continue to leave practically all important historical research and writing concerning the black race to the white man, then we must be prepared to accept, uncomplainingly, the white man's point of view. Votes: 4 Chancellor Williams
Would you not like to try all sorts of lives - one is so very small - but that is the satisfaction of writing - one can impersonate so many people. Votes: 3 Katherine Mansfield
Over the last 25 years, since a lot of science writing became accessible to layman, I've become quite a consumer of science. As a child, I wasn't streamed into science, and I regret that now. Votes: 4 John Noble
From my years of teaching creative writing, I know that new writers take the setting for granted, as simply a place to set the action, but setting is a vital element in fiction writing and deserves serious treatment. Votes: 1 Garry Disher
I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck. Votes: 4 Robert Sheckley
I don't like to use writing assignments, exercises. I think too often people get comfortable writing in that vein, but you can't go on to write a novel comprised of short writing exercises. Votes: 3 Chang-Rae Lee
In a way song writing can almost be detrimental, because suddenly you find an outlet that is a kind of cheating. You don't need to have direct communication. You can say, 'I can't describe it to you, but I will record it and send it to you.' Votes: 2 James Blunt
Writing on a contract for a major studio you get the very best. Votes: 1 Terry Southern
In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. Votes: 3 George Orwell
By the time I joined the 'Washington Post' sports staff in 1979, Red's Runyonesque notion of sports writing was obsolete. Votes: 3 Jane Leavy
I actually love Stephen King's writing. I mean, we, actually, at Castle Rock, we've made seven movies out of Stephen King books. Votes: 1 Rob Reiner
I've been writing stories since I was a kid. I love writing stories. Votes: 2 Randa Abdel-Fattah
Here in Manto's own words that he wanted to mark his grave with: "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie buried all the secrets and mysteries of the art of short-story writing.... Under tons of earth he lies, still wondering who among the two is greater short-story writer: God or He. Votes: 6 Saadat Hasan Manto
I've learned a lot about writing from listening to my students talk. Votes: 3 Marilynne Robinson
A Poet, Naturalist, and Historian, Who left scarcely any style of writing untouched, And touched nothing that he did not adorn. Votes: 4 Samuel Johnson
To have a successful writing career, you must be willing to sacrifice a great deal. The book, the deadline come first before anything else. Writing is not a job; it is a lifestyle, and it is a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. You need self-confidence and an iron carapace. Votes: 4 Virginia Henley
Words are both my vocation and my avocation - reading, writing, editing, teaching. Votes: 1 Christina Baker Kline
Because I don't have to be careful of people's feelings when I teach literature, and I do when I'm teaching writing. Votes: 8 Tobias Wolff
Words are both my vocation and my avocation - reading, writing, editing, teaching. Votes: 1 Christina Baker Kline
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: 4 Ted Chiang
Fear is the major cargo that American writers must stow away when the writing life calls them into carefully chosen ranks. Votes: 3 Pat Conroy
Writing is something that's great because you get to write every thought that's on your mind; you take your time. Votes: 3 Kendra Wilkinson
I resist the idea that travel writing has got to be factual. Votes: 6 Jan Morris
I think, when I started writing songs, my voice just became another tool. It wasn't something that I was going to try desperately to woo a listener. As long as I'm using my voice in a way that helps people understand what I'm trying to say, then I feel like I'm doing all right. Votes: 1 Laura Mvula
I really enjoy the therapeutic value of writing songs. Votes: 3 Shannon Hoon
At one point, I was blogging prodigiously, in the late '90s; and I was getting, like, millions of pages because I was, like, one of the only people writing about web design, and I was always writing about web design. Votes: 1 Jeffrey Zeldman
It was actually the movie 'Rushmore' that made me first realize that I could try writing, but 'Cheers' is the best show ever. The writers on that show created a relationship that writers today still fail to rip off successfully: the Sam and Diane. Votes: 2 Anders Holm
Writers of fiction should stick to writing, not pop up on panel shows or as a talking head. Votes: 3 Robert Harris
I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done. Votes: 8 Steven Wright
I'm always writing. A friend of mine once said, 'You avoid re-writing by writing.' Which is kind of a good point, because re-writing seems to be mostly about craft, and writing is just, like, getting out your passion on a piece of paper. Votes: 1 Cameron Crowe
I write journals and would recommend journal writing to anyone who wishes to pursue a writing career. You learn a lot. You also remember a lot... and memory is important. Votes: 2 Judy Collins
Writing is thought crystalized on a piece of paper, which can then be reviewed. Votes: 2 Tim Ferriss
One of the things I love about writing is the way you can use what you know and what you've experienced, without actually writing about yourself. I've given many of my experiences and perceptions to many of the characters in the book, but none of them is me. Votes: 4 Kate Grenville
All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know. Votes: 4 Ernest Hemingway
I just finished writing an essay about William Maxwell, an American writer whose work I admire very much. Votes: 3 Donna Tartt
I feel myself part of something. Not only being part of a community but part of an actual moment and a movement of Irish writing and art. That sense of being part of the whole thing is the deepest joy. Votes: 3 Seamus Heaney
Sometimes I wish the writing and drawing were more integrated. Votes: 4 Alison Bechdel
Lyric writing is an interesting process in Sonic Youth. There's three people writing now, and we've all had a lot of interest and involvement with expression through words. Votes: 1 Thurston Moore
Allen Ginsberg was a world authority on the writing of William Blake, and had an incredible knowledge of classic literature and world politics. Votes: 1 David Amram
It's hard to draw clear lines between writing and life and I don't think it is necessary to or necessarily good to. Votes: 3 Jonathan Safran Foer
I think history is collective memories. In writing, I'm using my own memory, and I'm using my collective memory. Votes: 1 Haruki Murakami
I think technique can be taught but I think the only way to learn to write is to read, and I see writing and reading as completely related. One almost couldn't exist without the other. Votes: 3 John McGahern
I got into writing and thinking about politics because I was told there would be no math. Votes: 4 Jeff Greenfield
Unfortunately, writing and reporting the truth is not allowed under Castro's tyrannical dictatorship. Votes: 2 Lincoln Diaz-Balart
I've been really enjoying writing articles and writing music and music for movies. Votes: 3 Alanis Morissette
For me, writing for younger audiences and writing for adults uses two different halves of my brain. Votes: 2 Sara Shepard
The flattery is nice, but awards don't add up to writing quality songs. Votes: 1 Chantal Kreviazuk
Just writing and being in the studio was like therapy for me. Votes: 1 Justin Timberlake
The publishers, as I remember at the very beginning of my career, wrote letters with their fountain pens. A letter is different from a phone call or fax. It's a different kind of intimacy. That pervaded the entire business of writing and publishing. Votes: 1 James Salter
I'm a journalist and author. I make my living by finding things out and writing about them. Votes: 1 Barton Gellman
You become a better writer by writing. You become a better travel writer by writing about travel. Votes: 2 Tim Cahill
Sitting with a deck of cards in your hand all day is an obsession. Visiting print shops and bookstores and libraries is an obsession. And writing about this is an obsession. I think, in general, most collectors are obsessed. I think the only form of a rationalized greed is when you're collecting something you are supposedly serious about. Votes: 1 Ricky Jay
I'm writing from a place of - a center of authenticity, somewhere that only I know how to write from. Votes: 1 K'naan
A writer appears in everything that he does. That said, I felt like writing characters with my own name, in fact, provided me with something of a smoke screen. Votes: 3 Joshua Cohen
I stay out of politics because if I begin thinking too much about politics, I'll probably... drop writing children's books and become a political cartoonist again. Votes: 4 Dr. Seuss
I've taken every writing class I've had available. I took classes in high school, and I took English and writing classes in community college, but I dropped out of college. I also attended a local writing workshop two years ago. Votes: 4 Amanda Hocking
The habit of writing clearly soon comes to the writer who is a severe critic to himself. Votes: 3 Anthony Trollope
I came to Hollywood originally writing comedy and writing satire. Votes: 4 Stephen Gaghan
Within the songwriting community, there are these unwritten rules for the way that a song should be written in country music, and I think that those rules are constantly being broken over the years, and the molds change and the process is evolving. Votes: 2 Sam Hunt
The conclusion I came to was that even if I couldn't sell books, I still liked the process of writing. Votes: 1 Paolo Bacigalupi
Most bloggers who rise above the clutter are quite often prolific -they work hard, not just writing content but networking, engaging in Social Media and more. Votes: 3 Darren Rowse
Most people won't realize that writing is a craft. You have to take your apprenticeship in it like anything else. Votes: 3 Katherine Anne Porter
I would, however, start writing fiction about 10 years before I actually did, because it's such great fun to do, many times more creative than nonfiction. Votes: 1 Judith Krantz
I love going to the movies and being moved emotionally. I like my work, singing and writing in my journal. Votes: 1 Elizabeth Daily
After a summer trip to Switzerland, which was rich in experiences, I started writing. In the beginning, I aimed at descriptions of nature and folk life until, as the years passed, the description of man became my chief interest. Votes: 1 Henrik Pontoppidan
I still haven't quite caught on to the idea of writing without dialogue. I like writing dialogue, and there's nothing wrong with dialogue in movies. Votes: 4 Kenneth Lonergan
The Turner Diaries' is a racist daydream by a former physics teacher writing under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. Votes: 1 Gore Vidal
For me, most of the anxiety and difficulty of writing takes place in the act of not writing. It's the procrastination, the thinking about writing that's difficult. Votes: 1 Adam Mansbach
Goal-getting matters. And writing down the brave acts and bold dreams you intend to accomplish will provide the spark to get them done. Votes: 1 Robin S. Sharma
I don't think you get to good writing unless you expose yourself and your feelings. Deep songs don't come from the surface; they come from the deep down. The poetry and the songs that you are suppose to write, I believe are in your heart. Votes: 1 Judy Collins
It is setting goals and trying to be a business person, but at the same time not losing sight of who you are writing songs for and what your goals are as a songwriter. So believe me, if you think I've got it down I don't it is a constant struggle. Votes: 1 Christine Lavin
Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature of an author, you have to think about your books in terms of their business angle. Votes: 1 Ashwin Sanghi
I've always preferred writing in longhand. I've always written first drafts in longhand. Votes: 2 John Irving
Dramatic fiction - William Shakespeare made his biggest mark writing dramatic love stories. Votes: 3 Nicholas Sparks
There are few cases in which mere popularity should be considered a proper test of merit; but the case of song-writing is, I think, one of the few. Votes: 1 Edgar Allan Poe
I seem to have a talent for writing endings that seem just right to me but that frustrate other people. Votes: 3 Jonathan Dee
Fantastic writing in English is kind of disreputable, but fantastic writing in translation is the summit. Votes: 2 Jonathan Lethem
I think that the practice of writing every day was what made me remember that writing doesn't have anything to do with publishing books. It can be totally separate and private - a comforting thought. Votes: 4 Nell Freudenberger
I'm always looking at ways of shaking up the writing experience because I think it helps. Votes: 4 Michael Connelly
No one is drawn to writing about being happy or feelings of joy. Votes: 2 Bret Easton Ellis
I was writing fiction, but not finishing fiction. Votes: 4 Elizabeth Moon
I've always preferred writing in longhand. I've always written first drafts in longhand. Votes: 2 John Irving
I went to Marion College for writing and I was kicked out of the writing school. I was asked to leave the writing program because I was corrupting the other students. Votes: 1 Laurell K. Hamilton
I think you become a writer when you stop writing for yourself or your teachers and start thinking about readers. Votes: 4 Avi
The advantage of writing from experience is that it often provides you with details that you would never think of yourself, no matter how rich your imagination. And specificity in description is something every writer should strive for. Votes: 4 Christopher Paolini
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. Votes: 4 William Wordsworth
I am a writer. I could not afford to take 15 months off from my writing career to play detective. Votes: 2 James Ellroy
People spend a lifetime thinking about how they would really like to live. I asked my friends and no one seems to know very clearly. To me it's very clear now. I wish my life could have been like the years when I was writing 'Love in the Time of Cholera.' Votes: 1 Gabriel Garcia Marquez
When you have a writing partner and you're writing a comedy, your goal is to make each other laugh. Votes: 2 Lauren Miller
Goal-getting matters. And writing down the brave acts and bold dreams you intend to accomplish will provide the spark to get them done. Votes: 1 Robin S. Sharma
My favorite subject was English or creative writing. We did poems and making a magazine, and I did one on celebrities. I called it 'Celebrity Life Magazine.' I interviewed my good friend Kaley Cuoco. Votes: 1 Ashley Tisdale
I sort of was good at writing essays. I was never very good at mathematics, and I was never very good at algebra. I loved science, but I wasn't sure of it. Votes: 1 Diane Cilento
One of the most delightful parts of being a writer is connecting with people via social media. I devote ten minutes out of every writing hour to Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other sites. I don't use assistants for that. It's me and all of my friends, fans, readers, and colleagues on the crazyboat. Votes: 1 Jonathan Maberry
A cookbook is not like being an author. It's writing down recipes; it's not writing. Votes: 1 Grant Achatz
I believe strongly in writing groups such as Romance Writers Of America that offer support, information and networking. Votes: 4 Nora Roberts
For decades, as literary editor, I have followed the growth of our creative writing in English. In my Solidaridad Bookshop, half of my stock consists of Filipino books written in English and in the native languages. Votes: 1 F. Sionil Jose
Language is political. That's why you and me, my Brother and Sister, that's why we supposed to choke our natural self into the weird, lying, barbarous, unreal, white speech and writing habits that the schools lay down like holy law. Votes: 3 June Jordan
Writing is a way of processing our lives. And it can be a way of healing. Votes: 1 Jan Karon
Writing is a way of processing our lives. And it can be a way of healing. Votes: 1 Jan Karon
It is like writing history with lightning and my only regret is that it is all so terribly true. Votes: 4 Woodrow Wilson
I really wish I knew what I was doing because I'd be writing hit songs every minute. Votes: 3 Bruno Mars
I've always had a fascination for everything surrounding things that are unexplainable. Not surprising that my first movie was a horror film, even though, of course, at the time I had no experience writing horror music. Votes: 3 Christopher Young
Nobody can tell you you're wrong for writing a song about how you feel - even if you don't really feel that way. Votes: 1 Norah Jones
At the risk of appearing disingenuous, I don't really think of myself as 'writing humor.' I'm simply reporting on the world I observe, which is frequently hilarious. Votes: 4 Richard Russo
I like writing, but I write for self-improvement more than I do for money. Votes: 1 Thomas Steinbeck
Music was never just a hobby for me. I'd pick up a guitar every day to work on whatever I was writing at the time. I would put my ideas in songs the way some people might put them in diaries or journals. Votes: 2 Tracy Chapman
I hate libraries for the way they put stickers on things. I don't approve of folding over pages, or of writing in books. And scissors - that's beyond the pale. Votes: 3 Jonathan Lethem
I went to school for creative writing in college, and I wound up about six hours short of my degree. Votes: 4 Jason Isbell
Fantastic writing in English is kind of disreputable, but fantastic writing in translation is the summit. Votes: 2 Jonathan Lethem
I was learning the craft; I didn't study writing in school. Rejection was my motivation, and failure is what taught me. Votes: 3 Pierce Brown
I am a bit of a head-in-the-sand person as concerns things happening beyond the walls of my study. And I don't feel particularly guilty about that. I figure that my primary job is producing the very best stories I am capable of writing, and that is what I concentrate upon doing. That is within my control. Votes: 1 Mary Balogh
Writing, for me, is very inspiration-dependent. And inspiration can be a jerk. Votes: 2 Gene Luen Yang
I never really had novel-writing instruction like people do in MFA programs. Votes: 3 Jess Row
Jane Austen was writing about boring people with desperately limited lives. We forget this because we've seen too many of her books on screen. Votes: 1 Mark Haddon
When you're writing a novel, you spend four years sitting in your basement and a year waiting for the book to come out and then you get the feedback. When you do work online, the moment you're finished making it, people start responding to it which is really fun and allows for a kind of community development you just can't have in novels. Votes: 1 John Green
I got a bit obsessed with the whole English language and was writing journals and poetry. I've always been intrigued about psychology and philosophy and how people's minds work. Votes: 3 Lara Pulver
It was very lucky for me as a writer that I studied the physical sciences rather than English. I wrote for my own amusement. There was no kindly English professor to tell me for my own good how awful my writing really was. And there was no professor with the power to order me what to read, either. Votes: 1 Kurt Vonnegut
It was very lucky for me as a writer that I studied the physical sciences rather than English. I wrote for my own amusement. There was no kindly English professor to tell me for my own good how awful my writing really was. And there was no professor with the power to order me what to read, either. Votes: 1 Kurt Vonnegut
I like writing letters and receiving letters. It's a shame that we've lost the art of letter-writing and saving correspondence. I mourn that. Votes: 2 Elizabeth McGovern
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. Votes: 4 Ernest Hemingway
Harper Collins gave me a letter of intent saying that they want me to pen down my autobiography. When I was recollecting the incidents of my life for that, I selected only those incidents which were turning points in my life. I staged it instead of writing it. Votes: 1 Anupam Kher
I don't feel that I wanted to spend my whole writing life - which is my life - writing detective stories. Votes: 2 Ruth Rendell
I've been a list maker for years, even before I was a musician. I was always writing things down and kept long lists of things that would make good album titles and things like that. I'm constantly thinking in terms of songwriting. Votes: 1 Buzz Osborne
I had made all these rules for myself: I'm not writing social commentary, I'm not writing love songs. Votes: 3 Joni Mitchell
The letters were universally complimentary, and we designers loved hearing that our games were being enjoyed, but if they weren't sending us a picture of their screens most of those writers would have spent their time playing the game rather than writing letters. Votes: 1 David Crane
I had made all these rules for myself: I'm not writing social commentary, I'm not writing love songs. Votes: 4 Joni Mitchell
Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. Votes: 1 Mark Twain
I don't know how much longer I'll be around. I'll probably be writing when the Lord says, 'Maya, Maya Angelou, it's time.' Votes: 1 Maya Angelou
People really want to believe that there is no fiction. I think they find it much easier to imagine that novelists are writing memoirs, writing about their lives, because it's difficult to conceive that there's a great imaginary life in which you can participate. Votes: 3 Mark Leyner
I think history is collective memories. In writing, I'm using my own memory, and I'm using my collective memory. Votes: 2 Haruki Murakami
Mathematicians have been hiding and writing messages in the genetic code for a long time, but it's clear they were mathematicians and not biologists because, if you write long messages with the code that the mathematicians developed, it would more than likely lead to new proteins being synthesized with unknown functions. Votes: 3 Craig Venter
I've gotten very alert not just to mixed metaphor but to any writing mistake. Votes: 1 Lydia Davis
One of the biggest motivations for me with writing my books is to offer girls some escapism, especially girls who really need it, like I did. Votes: 1 Meg Cabot
I have a great job writing for 'The Office,' but, really, all television writers do is dream of one day writing movies. I'll put it this way: At the Oscars the most famous person in the room is, like, Angelina Jolie. At the Emmys the huge exciting celebrity is Bethenny Frankel. You get what I mean. Votes: 3 Mindy Kaling
I'm probably writing music now for the same reason as I started writing songs when I was 14 - to meet women. Votes: 6 Billy Joel
Writing a children's book means you cannot spin out long narratives or have complex character development. Votes: 2 Norman Macleod
I started out writing much more science fictiony stuff and writing about science fiction. Votes: 1 Neil Gaiman
I don't enjoy writing newspaper articles any more than people like reading them. I'm a standup comic, not a journalist, although sometimes onstage I will say: 'What else is in the news?' Writing is work, which I'm not comfortable with. Votes: 3 Andy Kindler
It's exhausting writing nonfiction, particularly when it's personal. It's tiring, always speaking about things that are not necessarily fun retelling. Votes: 4 Ishmael Beah
I was writing notes, but not composing poems. The Hunter began to develop out of this fragmented process. Votes: 5 George Murray
If I really considered myself a writer, I wouldn't be writing screenplays. I'd be writing novels. Votes: 4 Quentin Tarantino
I can write most places. I particularly like writing on trains. Being between places is quite liberating, and looking out of the window, watching a procession of landscapes and random-ish objects, is very good for stories. Votes: 1 Susanna Clarke
Often I have the impression that I am writing on paper that is already browning in the licks of the flames. Votes: 4 Ernst Junger
Writing on the beach is not what it's cracked up to be. The sand blows, and you perspire, and the page gets all blotty and messed up, so I don't do that anymore. Votes: 1 Elmore Leonard
No no there wasn't any planned 14th season, we all saw the writing on the wall. The ratings had been going down and so fourth, that curve goes on every show and in everybody's life. Votes: 7 Larry Hagman
I can spend the day without writing or reading, but I can't spend a day without listening to music. Votes: 4 Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Writing is my therapy. In addition to my real therapy. God knows where I'd be without it. I'd probably still be at my last job, working in HR at a religious organization. I was horribly miscast. Votes: 1 Jenny Lawson
Orwell is almost our litmus test. Some of his satirical writing looks like reality these days. Votes: 1 John Pilger
Our country has the oldest tradition of storytelling, and this was much before writing stories even became a norm. Votes: 1 Ashwin Sanghi
So, I outlined a horror novel and started writing. Votes: 2 George Stephen
She would smile and show no surprise, convinced as she was, the same as I, that casual meetings are apt to be just the opposite, and that people who make dates are the same kind who need lines on their writing paper, or who always squeeze up from the bottom on a tube of toothpaste. Votes: 3 Julio Cortazar
The most important thing I learned at the University of Florida is that a Ph.D. and writing papers is very important in the United States. Votes: 3 Shuji Nakamura
My writing philosophy is throwing spaghetti against the wall. That's how I take pictures, too. If I take 100, surely one will be good. Votes: 3 Amanda Peet
One of the most delightful parts of being a writer is connecting with people via social media. I devote ten minutes out of every writing hour to Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other sites. I don't use assistants for that. It's me and all of my friends, fans, readers, and colleagues on the crazyboat. Votes: 1 Jonathan Maberry
I had always written. I had written stories and poems. Then I started writing plays. Votes: 4 Lena Dunham
Remember, writing poetry is like making love: one will never know whether one's own pleasure is shared. Votes: 6 Cesare Pavese
I am always urging my students to honor their writing practice, to set up a schedule. Votes: 4 Tayari Jones
The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning. Votes: 1 A. B. Yehoshua
For me, writing is 75 percent procrastinating and 25 percent actually sitting down and working. Votes: 1 Zooey Deschanel
I was learning the craft; I didn't study writing in school. Rejection was my motivation, and failure is what taught me. Votes: 1 Pierce Brown
As an economics undergraduate, I also worked on a part-time basis in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a company that was advising customers about portfolio decisions, writing reports. Votes: 4 Merton Miller
Mostly, research is much more fun than the actual writing. Votes: 2 Michelle Paver
I remember, when I was writing 'Traffic,' talking to top federal drug-enforcement officials and having them say they read it and found it very good and believable, except the scene where the girl describes her resume. Votes: 1 Stephen Gaghan
Ultimately one has to pity these poor souls who know every secret about writing, directing, designing, producing, and acting but are stuck in those miserable day jobs writing reviews. Will somebody help them, please? Votes: 3 David Ives
Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing. Votes: 1 Bernard Malamud
No special writing rituals. And my desk is usually cluttered. Votes: 3 Stephen Greenblatt
There's a horrible stereotype of both the romance writer and the romance reader as somehow undereducated and unprofessional, when in fact there are a number of incredibly well-educated professional women who have chosen to leave their other careers and go into writing romance. Votes: 4 Lauren Willig
I began reading science fiction before I was 12 and started writing science fiction around the same time. Votes: 4 Octavia Butler
Writing was always an aspiration, but I'd kept it a secret even from myself. Votes: 2 Kevin Powers
For me, if Shakespeare was around today, he'd be writing screenplays - a big Hollywood movie. Votes: 3 Douglas Booth
I've always been ambidextrous, writing short stories and novels, and I pretty much have been writing a novel and a handful of short stories every year since '91. Votes: 4 Catherine Ryan Hyde
I've always been ambidextrous, writing short stories and novels, and I pretty much have been writing a novel and a handful of short stories every year since '91. Votes: 4 Catherine Ryan Hyde
Writing for adults and writing for young people is really not that different. As a reporter, I have always tried to write as clearly and simply as possible. I like clean, unadorned writing. So writing for a younger audience was largely an exercise in making my prose even more clear and direct, and in avoiding complicated digressions. Votes: 3 Serge Schmemann
I actually credit Twitter with fine-tuning some joke-writing skills. I still feel like I'm working at it. Votes: 4 Steve Martin
I actually credit Twitter with fine-tuning some joke-writing skills. I still feel like I'm working at it. Votes: 8 Steve Martin
Reading Stephen King's book, On Writing, was like being cornered and forced to have a long, drawn out mental enema. Votes: 0 Mary Garden
I've been writing stories since I was a kid. I love writing stories. Votes: 4 Randa Abdel-Fattah
My writing style is very sensual, as in sensory detail Votes: 4 Laurell K. Hamilton
There are as many routes to writing success as there are writers who got there. My advice, however, applies across the board: read widely, learn the craft by whatever means you can - workshops and writing programs are ideal, but even self-study can work - apply what you learn, and persevere. Votes: 4 Therese Fowler
Nu shu means women's writing. And it was a secret writing system that was invented by women, used by women and kept a secret by women in one very remote county in China for a thousand years. It's the only language that was invented and used by women to have been found anywhere in the world. Votes: 3 Lisa See
Writing blurbs for books means you have to read the book, and it cuts into the business of bookselling. So every time I get a blurb from a bookseller, I try to write a thank you note. Votes: 1 Gabrielle Zevin
Once you are a proper, serious law-maker, you can't break the laws you're writing. Votes: 2 Louise Mensch
Write to exhaustion so that you can no longer manage to avoid writing the truth. Votes: 3 Elissa Schappell
I have a terrible superstition of writing things down. Votes: 4 Andrew Scott
Writing crystallizes thought and thought produces action. Votes: 2 Paul J. Meyer
In the early days, it was, you know, I used to weep while I was writing. I used to grab at any kind of anything, any hint, any tip of how to make it easy. Votes: 1 Sue Townsend
In the early days, it was, you know, I used to weep while I was writing. I used to grab at any kind of anything, any hint, any tip of how to make it easy. Votes: 1 Sue Townsend
You don't have to always write about big stuff. Writing is about expressing yourself, you know? It can be about small stuff, too. Votes: 3 Mick Jones
You won't make a living writing until you learn to write when you don't want to. Votes: 2 Chelsea Cain
Writing a novel is easier than writing a memoir; you are not constrained by the truth. Votes: 2 Steve Bisley
When I was six, someone in my family gave me a yellow pencil holder that had my name printed on it. I still have it, and when I'm doing table work in rehearsal, I use it to carry my highlighters and other writing utensils. I love it. Votes: 3 Seth Numrich
I think some aspects of writing can be taught. Obviously, you can't teach vision or talent. But you can help with comfort. Votes: 1 Toni Morrison
There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily. Votes: 8 Anthony Trollope
All of my records have been very personal, just writing more and more songs, you get better at being able to say what you feel. Votes: 1 Shooter Jennings
It's a bit cliche, but you can't go wrong by writing what you know. Even if you're a horrible writer, your own knowledge and experience is unrivaled. Nobody knows what you know like you know what you know. The way you see things is pretty unique. Votes: 4 Issa Rae
Dramatic fiction - William Shakespeare made his biggest mark writing dramatic love stories. Votes: 1 Nicholas Sparks
Life is like writing with a pen. You can cross out your past but you can't erase it. Votes: 3 E. B. White
The reason I write is that I'm not in dialogue with my emotions; writing puts me in touch with myself. Votes: 1 Etgar Keret
Robert Jordan, whether he's writing with passion or not, I don't know. Votes: 3 Terri Windling
The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! Votes: 1 Bill Watterson
I love writing music, but it seems I'm always writing words, so I don't get much time to do it. Votes: 4 Neal Shusterman
You don't teach information in a writing workshop. Votes: 4 Tobias Wolff
You're writing your life as you go - the question becomes, how do you want to write your life? Votes: 4 Hill Harper
Given the current state of publishing, I think it helps to have a brand name on the cover of your book. Comedians are proven commodities with built-in audiences. They may not have the writing chops of a Dave Eggers, but they're salacious and funny and self-reflective. Votes: 1 Michael Showalter
Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms. Votes: 1 Angela Carter
Surely the whole point of writing your own life story is to be as honest as you possibly can, revealing everything about yourself that is most private and probably most interesting for that very reason. Votes: 3 Judith Krantz
If you write a story based on a real person, you're trapped by the details of the real person and his life. It gets in the way of writing your own story. Votes: 3 Caroline B. Cooney
Freedom begins the moment you realize someone else has been writing your story and it's time you took the pen from his hand and started writing it yourself. Votes: 3 Bill Moyers
I spend all my time trying to keep thoughts away and ignore them....But here you are, trying to remember your own life, writing your thoughts down so that you don't forget. I suddenly realized what it would be like not to know, not to remember. Votes: 4 Michael Scott