Writing Quotes | Beyond Motive 15/27

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Writing Quotes

"Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing."

"Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing."

Bernard Malamud, American Novelist

21

"Everyone should have a form of a diary it's a great release Most people's Diaries are called "My Diary" Mines called "Conversations with Me"."

"Everyone should have a form of a diary it's a great release Most people's Diaries are called "My Diary" Mines called "Conversations with Me"."

Stanley Victor Paskavich, American Politician

Writing, Reflection, Emotion, Solitude

21

"People should think that being a writer is cool. Even if you're just a starving writer. Besides, most great writers were starving at one point or another. It comes with the title."

"People should think that being a writer is cool. Even if you're just a starving writer. Besides, most great writers were starving at one point or another. It comes with the title."

Zack Love, American Author

Writing, Creativity, Persistence, Success

21

"If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate: The "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies."

"If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate: The "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies."

William Faulkner, American Novelist

Writing, Mother, Ladies, Old, Will

21

"Every article and review and book that I have ever published has constituted an appeal to the person or persons to whom I should have talked before I dared to write it. I never launch any little essay without the hope-and the fear, because the encounter may also be embarrassing-that I shall draw a letter that begins, 'Dear Mr. Hitchens, it seems that you are unaware that It is in this sense that authorship is collaborative with 'the reader.' And there's no help for it: you only find out what you ought to have known by pretending to know at least some of it already.It doesn't matter how obscure or arcane or esoteric your place of publication may be: some sweet law ensures that the person who should be scrutinizing your work eventually does do so."

"Every article and review and book that I have ever published has constituted an appeal to the person or persons to whom I should have talked before I dared to write it. I never launch any little essay without the hope-and the fear, because the encounter may also be embarrassing-that I shall draw a letter that begins, 'Dear Mr. Hitchens, it seems that you are unaware that It is in this sense that authorship is collaborative with 'the reader.' And there's no help for it: you only find out what you ought to have known by pretending to know at least some of it already.It doesn't matter how obscure or arcane or esoteric your place of publication may be: some sweet law ensures that the person who should be scrutinizing your work eventually does do so."

Christopher Hitchens, American Author

Writing, Authorship, Collaboration, Fear

21

"Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do."

"Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do."

Mark Twain, American Author

Writing, Language, Words, Simplicity, Communication

21

"I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular "ism," but a gathering together of writers with an aesthetic approach to literature and with a lust for excellence."

"I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular "ism," but a gathering together of writers with an aesthetic approach to literature and with a lust for excellence."

John Metcalf, Canadian Editor

Writing, Excellence, Literature, Lust, Press

21

"The tools I need for my work are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whiskey."

"The tools I need for my work are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whiskey."

William Faulkner, American Novelist

Writing, Work, Food, Tools

20

"For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts."

"For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts."

Anne Lamott, American Author

Writing, Process, Imperfection, Creativity

20

"Circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example."

"Circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example."

Arthur Conan Doyle, British Writer

Writing, Example, Trout

20

"A quote is just a tattoo on the tongue."

"A quote is just a tattoo on the tongue."

William F. DeVault, American Poet

Writing, Tongue

20

"I like the way Twitter makes one be more concise.It looks like someone is saying sometthing wise."

"I like the way Twitter makes one be more concise.It looks like someone is saying sometthing wise."

Ana Claudia Antunes, Brazilian Singer

Writing, Expression, Creativity, Communication, Wisdom

20

"Writers may be disreputable, incorrigible, early to decay or late to bloom but they dare to go it alone."

"Writers may be disreputable, incorrigible, early to decay or late to bloom but they dare to go it alone."

John Updike, American Novelist

Writing, May, Writers

20

"Biography, like big game hunting, is one of the recognized forms of sport, and it is as unfair as only sport can be."

"Biography, like big game hunting, is one of the recognized forms of sport, and it is as unfair as only sport can be."

Philip Guedalla, English Historian

Writing, Biography, Hunting

20

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."

Anne Frank, German Writer

Writing, Truth, Wisdom, Observation

20

"The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter."

"The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter."

Blaise Pascal, French Philosopher

Writing, Leisure, Present

20

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."

Anais Nin, American Author

Writing, Life, Experience, Reflection

20

"I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process where I begin challenging my own writing."

"I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process where I begin challenging my own writing."

Donald McKay, Canadian Designer

20

"Even if I knew for certain that I would never have anything published again, and would never make another cent from it, I would still keep on writing."

"Even if I knew for certain that I would never have anything published again, and would never make another cent from it, I would still keep on writing."

Brenda Ueland, American Writer

20

"I loved the process of writing."

"I loved the process of writing."

Nora Roberts, American Author

19

"I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language."

"I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language."

Italo Calvino, Italian Journalist

Writing, Creativity, Language, Expression

19

"Writing, producing and directing, I must say, is incredibly satisfying and gratifying. I've never been happier."

"Writing, producing and directing, I must say, is incredibly satisfying and gratifying. I've never been happier."

Jennifer Jason Leigh, American Actress

19

"What an author doesn't know could fill a book."

"What an author doesn't know could fill a book."

Holly Black, American Author

Writing, Creativity, Imagination, Learning, Curiosity

19

"There is nothing to writing, all you have to do is, sit on the computer and bleed your thoughts."

"There is nothing to writing, all you have to do is, sit on the computer and bleed your thoughts."

Santosh Kalwar, Nepalese Poet

Writing, Expression, Creativity, Thought

19

"Calvino was not a writer of hits; he was a writer of classics."

"Calvino was not a writer of hits; he was a writer of classics."

William Weaver, English Author

Writing, Writer

19

"I didn't want to write a biographie romancee especially since I already write novels, nor did I want to challenge the rules of the biography game, arbitrary as those rules might be."

"I didn't want to write a biographie romancee especially since I already write novels, nor did I want to challenge the rules of the biography game, arbitrary as those rules might be."

Edmund White, American Novelist

Writing, Biography, Challenge, Rules, Want

19

"I will only mention that the independent power of words to affect the writing of history is a thing to be watched out for. They have an almost frightening autonomous power to produce in the mind of the reader an image or idea that was not in the mind of the writer. Obviously they operate this way in all forms of writing, but history is particularly sensitive because one has a duty to be accurate, and careless use of words can leave a false impression one had not intended."

"I will only mention that the independent power of words to affect the writing of history is a thing to be watched out for. They have an almost frightening autonomous power to produce in the mind of the reader an image or idea that was not in the mind of the writer. Obviously they operate this way in all forms of writing, but history is particularly sensitive because one has a duty to be accurate, and careless use of words can leave a false impression one had not intended."

Barbara Tuchman, American Historian

Writing, Word, History, Accuracy, Language

19

"The journal is written to everyone and thus to no one."

"The journal is written to everyone and thus to no one."

Sherry Turkle, American Author

Writing, Expression, Reflection, Audience

19

"Writers (my kind of writers: aspiring novelists, ruminative thinkers, people whose brains don't work quick enough to blog or link or tweet, basically old, stubborn blowhards) were through. We were like women's hat makers or buggy-whip manufacturers: Our time was done."

"Writers (my kind of writers: aspiring novelists, ruminative thinkers, people whose brains don't work quick enough to blog or link or tweet, basically old, stubborn blowhards) were through. We were like women's hat makers or buggy-whip manufacturers: Our time was done."

Gillian Flynn, American Author

Writing, Change, Technology, Creativity

19

"If I take a less defensive tone, I'd admit that I couldn't write today a very jazzy, contemporary look at America as I did in 1979 in States of Desire."

"If I take a less defensive tone, I'd admit that I couldn't write today a very jazzy, contemporary look at America as I did in 1979 in States of Desire."

Edmund White, American Novelist

Writing, America, Desire, States, Today

19

"In the summer of '80, Silhouette bought my first book."

"In the summer of '80, Silhouette bought my first book."

Nora Roberts, American Author

Writing, First, Summer

18

"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."

"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."

Mark Twain, American Author

Writing, Time, Will

18

"While I'm writing, I'm far away;and when I come back, I've gone."

"While I'm writing, I'm far away;and when I come back, I've gone."

Pablo Neruda, Chilean Writer

Writing, Travel, Distance, Experience

18

"Most comic scriptwriters are very bad. The artists are good, but the writers are so bad."

"Most comic scriptwriters are very bad. The artists are good, but the writers are so bad."

Harry Harrison, American Author

Writing, Artists, Writers

18

"What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well."

"What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well."

Edward Abbey, American Author

Writing, Clarity, Expression, Creativity

18

"Everything I've ever done, in the writing world, has been to expand articulation, rather than to close it."

"Everything I've ever done, in the writing world, has been to expand articulation, rather than to close it."

Toni Morrison, American Novelist

18

"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine."

"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine."

Emily Dickinson, American Poet

Writing, Word, Power, Expression

18

"So many people can now write competent stories that the short story is in danger of dying of competence."

"So many people can now write competent stories that the short story is in danger of dying of competence."

Flannery O'Connor, American Author

Writing, Skill, Creativity, Competition

18

"In his earliest youth, he had drawn inspiration from really bad authors, as you may have seen from his style; as he grew older, he lost his taste for them, but the excellent authors just didn't fill him with the same enthusiasm."

"In his earliest youth, he had drawn inspiration from really bad authors, as you may have seen from his style; as he grew older, he lost his taste for them, but the excellent authors just didn't fill him with the same enthusiasm."

Gustave Flaubert, French Novelist

Writing, Growth, Learning, Creativity, Inspirational

18

"You cannot write unless you write much."

"You cannot write unless you write much."

W. Somerset Maugham, British Playwright

Writing, Practice, Discipline, Creativity

18

"Writers speak stench."

"Writers speak stench."

Franz Kafka, Austrian Novelist

Writing, Writers

18

"The habit of writing for my eye is good practice. It loosens the ligaments."

"The habit of writing for my eye is good practice. It loosens the ligaments."

Virginia Woolf, British Author

Writing, Practice, Observation, Exercise

18

"We cannot all write like Lincoln or Shakespeare, but even the least gifted of us has the incredible instrument, our voice, to communicate the range of human emotions. Why would we deprive ourselves of that?"

"We cannot all write like Lincoln or Shakespeare, but even the least gifted of us has the incredible instrument, our voice, to communicate the range of human emotions. Why would we deprive ourselves of that?"

Sherry Turkle, American Author

Writing, Voice, Expression, Communication

18

"Words are not as satisfactory as we should like them to be, but, like our neighbours, we have got to live with them and must make the best and not the worst of them."

"Words are not as satisfactory as we should like them to be, but, like our neighbours, we have got to live with them and must make the best and not the worst of them."

Samuel Butler, British Poet

18

"I got it! I got it! Heeb declared triumphantly. Evan stopped in the middle of his kitchenette to hear Heeb's idea. 'Sex in the Title.'Yeah, that's what you've been saying I need.'No, that's the title: 'Sex in the Title.''You want me to call my novel 'Sex in the Title?''Yeah. Isn't it great?"

"I got it! I got it! Heeb declared triumphantly. Evan stopped in the middle of his kitchenette to hear Heeb's idea. 'Sex in the Title.'Yeah, that's what you've been saying I need.'No, that's the title: 'Sex in the Title.''You want me to call my novel 'Sex in the Title?''Yeah. Isn't it great?"

Zack Love, American Author

Writing, Humor, Creativity, Idea

18

"Great writing is great writing. It's as simple as all that."

"Great writing is great writing. It's as simple as all that."

Kate Mulgrew, American Actress

18

"Character is plot, plot is character."

"Character is plot, plot is character."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, American Author

Writing, Character, Story, Development

17

"The reality of a serious writer is a reality of many voices, some of them belonging to the writer, some of them belonging to the world of readers at large."

"The reality of a serious writer is a reality of many voices, some of them belonging to the writer, some of them belonging to the world of readers at large."

Aberjhani, American Historian

Writing, Reality, Creativity, Perspective

17

"But he had turned, little by little, a disturbance into words, he had made a pillow of old words, for his head."

"But he had turned, little by little, a disturbance into words, he had made a pillow of old words, for his head."

Samuel Beckett, Irish Playwright

Writing, Language, Healing, Expression, Memory

17

"Sometimes that's a year, sometimes it's 18 months, where all I'm doing is taking notes. I'm reconstructing the story from the back to the front so that I know where the front is."

"Sometimes that's a year, sometimes it's 18 months, where all I'm doing is taking notes. I'm reconstructing the story from the back to the front so that I know where the front is."

John Irving, American Novelist

Writing, Months

17

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