Writing Quotes | Beyond Motive 3/22

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Writing Quotes

"Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can't quite keep up with gravity."

"Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can't quite keep up with gravity."

Rainbow Rowell, American Author

Writing, Flow, Creativity, Speed

6

"The first four months of writing the book, my mental image is scratching with my hands through granite. My other image is pushing a train up the mountain, and it's icy, and I'm in bare feet."

"The first four months of writing the book, my mental image is scratching with my hands through granite. My other image is pushing a train up the mountain, and it's icy, and I'm in bare feet."

Mary Higgins Clark, American Author

Writing, Feet, First, Months

6

"To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man."

"To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Writing, Expression, Wisdom, People

6

"The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy."

"The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy."

Lionel Trilling, American Critic

Writing, Fantasy

6

"The space where I write is in my head, I suppose."

"The space where I write is in my head, I suppose."

Sara Sheridan, Scottish Author

Writing, Mind, Creativity, Imagination

6

"Take away paradox from the thinker and you have a professor."

"Take away paradox from the thinker and you have a professor."

Soren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher

Writing, Paradox

6

"A word only writes Its night and ridesIts dream."

"A word only writes Its night and ridesIts dream."

Dejan Stojanovic, Serbian Philosopher

Writing, Word, Dream, Imagination

6

"I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste."

"I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste."

Marcel Duchamp, French Artist

Writing, Order, Taste

6

"Literary Agent: "I meant manuscript wise.Tina: "Ohh. Um, yes. I've brought a few with me, just some rough drafts. (shuffle, shuffle) You might say something of an experiment."

"Literary Agent: "I meant manuscript wise.Tina: "Ohh. Um, yes. I've brought a few with me, just some rough drafts. (shuffle, shuffle) You might say something of an experiment."

Christina Engela, South African Author

Writing, Creativity, Literature, Art

6

"Writing is the dancing of words, sometimes it is beautiful and meaningful, sometimes it is not."

"Writing is the dancing of words, sometimes it is beautiful and meaningful, sometimes it is not."

Debasish Mridha, American Author

Writing, Words, Dance, Expression

6

"I don't think artists are made, I think they're born."

"I don't think artists are made, I think they're born."

Don Van Vliet, American Artist

Writing, Artists

5

"I get a great high from writing."

"I get a great high from writing."

Walter Hill, American Director

5

"What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training for writing good prose."

"What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training for writing good prose."

Philip Pullman, British Writer

Writing, Prose, Training

5

"I've been as bad an influence on American literature as anyone I can think of."

"I've been as bad an influence on American literature as anyone I can think of."

Dashiell Hammett, American Author

Writing, Influence, Literature

5

"Certainly the plagiarism, and dealing with the fallout of it, was the most difficult thing I've ever faced since I started writing."

"Certainly the plagiarism, and dealing with the fallout of it, was the most difficult thing I've ever faced since I started writing."

Nora Roberts, American Author

Writing, Plagiarism

5

"I usually do one con a year as a GoH and try to make the World Fantasy Convention for business purposes. Last year I went to a worldcon for the first time in two decades. I may go again this year."

"I usually do one con a year as a GoH and try to make the World Fantasy Convention for business purposes. Last year I went to a worldcon for the first time in two decades. I may go again this year."

Alan Dean Foster, American Author

Writing, Business, Time, Fantasy, First

5

"Readers are what it's all about, aren't they? If not, why am I writing?"

"Readers are what it's all about, aren't they? If not, why am I writing?"

Evan Hunter, American Author

5

"I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass."

"I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass."

Tracy Kidder, American Author

Writing, Prose, Want

5

"With my own memoirs, they are truthful, and I write everything fully expecting to some day end up televised on Court TV, and I'm fully prepared to be challenged legally on it."

"With my own memoirs, they are truthful, and I write everything fully expecting to some day end up televised on Court TV, and I'm fully prepared to be challenged legally on it."

Augusten Burroughs, American Writer

Writing, Court, Day, End

5

"Sometimes I can spend as long revising a manuscript as I spent writing it in the first place."

"Sometimes I can spend as long revising a manuscript as I spent writing it in the first place."

Margaret Haddix, American Author

5

"Ah, take the Cash in hand and waive the Rest."

"Ah, take the Cash in hand and waive the Rest."

Edward Fitzgerald, English Poet

5

"I've always been able to survive by writing, though."

"I've always been able to survive by writing, though."

John Milius, American Director

5

"I'm a crap guitarist and I find it really hard writing on my own."

"I'm a crap guitarist and I find it really hard writing on my own."

Siobhan Fahey, British Musician

5

"I think that the justices were totally answering the way that they should. I think that the senators, as best I could tell, for the most part, Democrat and Republican, respected that."

"I think that the justices were totally answering the way that they should. I think that the senators, as best I could tell, for the most part, Democrat and Republican, respected that."

Fred Thompson, American Politician

Writing, Republican, Senators

5

"Even when I think I'm writing really young, they say it's too mature."

"Even when I think I'm writing really young, they say it's too mature."

Cynthia Weil, American Musician

5

"No one inspired me to write, but writer Harlan Ellison terrified me into getting published."

"No one inspired me to write, but writer Harlan Ellison terrified me into getting published."

Dan Simmons, American Author

Writing, Writer

5

"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

5

"I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten."

"I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten."

Francis Ford Coppola, American Director

Writing, Bizarre, Speech, Writer

5

"Even this vein of writing is so foreign to me that I am amazed."

"Even this vein of writing is so foreign to me that I am amazed."

David O. Selznick, American Producer

5

"Even though I may not intend it when I set out to write the book, these places just emerge as major players in what I'm doing, almost as if they are insisting on it."

"Even though I may not intend it when I set out to write the book, these places just emerge as major players in what I'm doing, almost as if they are insisting on it."

David Guterson, American Author

5

"In the writing process, the more a story cooks, the better."

"In the writing process, the more a story cooks, the better."

Doris Lessing, English Writer

5

"You can get stale writing with each other for a while."

"You can get stale writing with each other for a while."

Barry Mann, American Musician

5

"The essays are different because ultimately it's things I'm interested in, and I'm really just writing about myself and using those subjects as a prism."

"The essays are different because ultimately it's things I'm interested in, and I'm really just writing about myself and using those subjects as a prism."

Chuck Klosterman, American Critic

5

"I just wrote what I felt like writing since they seemed to sell."

"I just wrote what I felt like writing since they seemed to sell."

Jack Vance, American Author

5

"I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose."

"I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose."

Jeffery Deaver, American Writer

Writing, Months, Prose, Word

5

"The poet may be used as a barometer, but let us not forget that he is also part of the weather."

"The poet may be used as a barometer, but let us not forget that he is also part of the weather."

Lionel Trilling, American Critic

Writing, Forget, May, Weather

5

"It's just so much fun to make up characters, situations, and everything else about a story. I have so much freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want."

"It's just so much fun to make up characters, situations, and everything else about a story. I have so much freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want."

Margaret Haddix, American Author

Writing, Flexibility, Freedom, Fun, Want

5

"If you can't think of what to write, tough luck; write anyway. If you can think of lots more when you've finished the three pages, don't write it; it'll be that much easier to get going next day."

"If you can't think of what to write, tough luck; write anyway. If you can think of lots more when you've finished the three pages, don't write it; it'll be that much easier to get going next day."

Philip Pullman, British Writer

Writing, Day, Luck

5

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else."

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else."

Gloria Steinem, American Activist

5

"I don't know if you've ever tried writing a Doctor Who story, but it's a lot more difficult than it initially appears, especially if you've got more than one assistant."

"I don't know if you've ever tried writing a Doctor Who story, but it's a lot more difficult than it initially appears, especially if you've got more than one assistant."

Sarah Sutton, British Actress

5

"The process of creating is related to the process of dreaming although when you are writing you're doing it and when you're dreaming, it's doing you."

"The process of creating is related to the process of dreaming although when you are writing you're doing it and when you're dreaming, it's doing you."

Robert Stone, American Novelist

5

"I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it."

"I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it."

Toni Morrison, American Novelist

5

"Writing about dead white males seems to be out of favor among academics."

"Writing about dead white males seems to be out of favor among academics."

Ron Chernow, American Author

5

"The individual, man as a man, man as a brain, if you like, interests me more than what he makes, because I've noticed that most artists only repeat themselves."

"The individual, man as a man, man as a brain, if you like, interests me more than what he makes, because I've noticed that most artists only repeat themselves."

Marcel Duchamp, French Artist

Writing, Artists, Man

5

"The hard part of writing at all is sitting your ass down in a chair and writing it. There's always something better to do, like I've got an interview, sharpening the pencils, trimming the roses. There's always something better to do. Going to a writer's club?"

"The hard part of writing at all is sitting your ass down in a chair and writing it. There's always something better to do, like I've got an interview, sharpening the pencils, trimming the roses. There's always something better to do. Going to a writer's club?"

Jerry Pournelle, American Journalist

Writing, Roses, Writer

5

"I find that I have about six bloggable ideas a day. I also find that writing twice as long a post doesn't increase communication, it usually decreases it. And finally, I found that people get antsy if there are unread posts in their queue."

"I find that I have about six bloggable ideas a day. I also find that writing twice as long a post doesn't increase communication, it usually decreases it. And finally, I found that people get antsy if there are unread posts in their queue."

Seth Godin, American Writer

Writing, Blogging, Communication, Productivity

5

"Whenever I am sent a new book on the lively arts, the first thing I do is look for myself in the index."

"Whenever I am sent a new book on the lively arts, the first thing I do is look for myself in the index."

Julie Burchill, British Journalist

5

"People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and backache and notes and more time and more work than you'd believe."

"People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and backache and notes and more time and more work than you'd believe."

Neil Gaiman, British Author

Writing, Work, Creativity, Effort

5

"Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself."

"Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself."

James Stephens, Irish Poet

Writing, Originality, Saying

5

"The very quick and high sales of the book caught us off guard, but fortunately we got the second edition from the printers at the end of last week and the shops should now be stocked again."

"The very quick and high sales of the book caught us off guard, but fortunately we got the second edition from the printers at the end of last week and the shops should now be stocked again."

Hansie Cronje, South African Athlete

Writing, End, Now, Quick, Sales

5

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