I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. — Douglas Adams
A word after a word after a word is power. — Margaret Atwood
The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself. — Albert Camus
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. — Anton Chekhov
Tears are words that need to be written. — Paulo Coelho
I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. — Anne Frank
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. — Benjamin Franklin
Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window. — William Faulkner
Half my life is an act of revision. — John Irving
If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. — Stephen King
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What's your favorite quote about writing?
14 comments:
"The difference between life and the movies is that a script has to make sense, and life doesn't."--Joseph L. Mankiewicz
"When the writer becomes the center of his attention, he becomes a nudnik. And a nudnik who believes he's profound is even worse than a plain nudnik."--Isaac Bashevis Singer
"If criticism had any real power to harm, the skunk would be extinct by now."--Fred Allen
"Don't listen to those who say, 'It's not done that way.' Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor and it would surely be rubbed out by today."--Neil Simon
"My main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that, as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably."--George Bernard Shaw
"A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation."--H.H. Munro (Saki)
"A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the populace with his pants down."--Edna St. Vincent Millay
Wow! Thanks for all the great quotes, E.J.
Hi Lois,
If I put a quote on my website do I have to get permission from the author or publisher?
Ann McAllister Clark
abookz@aol.com
Love these!
These are wonderful! And inspirational!
Thank you, Marilyn and Suzanne!
Ann, I'm going to email you privately because I need more information regarding your question.
"A book is a dream that you hold in your hands," attributed to Neil Gaiman. He posted a picture of a poster of the quote on his Twitter account, only commenting "beautiful," probably commenting on the quality of the hand typesetting, so I think it really is his. It's also very much the sort of thing he'd say!
Sandra
I've always loved the Stephen King quote. He nails things with simplicity.
I love that quote, Sandra!
Valerie, Stephen King is definitely the supreme master!
my absolute fave:
"There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well."
- 'Agatha Christie: An Autobiography', 1977.
Phyllis Whitney wrote more than 70 mysteries. She had many good quotes about writing. One of my favorites is: “There's only one good reason to be a writer-we can't help it! We'd all like to be rich, famous and successful, but if those are our goals, we're off on a wrong foot...I just wanted to earn enough money so I could work at home on my writing.”
Another is "A good book is written; it's rewritten."
Thanks, Judy and D.S. Both good contributions to the list.
Lovely quotes here! Taking notes!
Glad you enjoyed them, Damyanti.
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