Writing Advice Quotes

...a writer without authority? Impossible. as Kenneth Burke says, creation implies authority in the sense of originator....

Upon the one thing every writer absolutely must have, and that is intellectual curiosity.

...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment from unseen hands - call it a Muse ...

Build your novel one word at a time. Remember that minutes = novels.

Fanscination is what keeps a writer going. To be able to write, a writer has to be fascinated about a particular something that becomes the idea of the story

A writer must pay attention his or her surroundings.

...authority is the unmistakeable tone in the voice of a true writer...

Write what you want to write and would like to read, not for any invisible audience. Your readers will find you.

Do not forget to write your sacred book.

Don’t stop writing until someone pries the pen from your cold, dead hands.

Art is a journey of excellence not a goal of perfection.

The best writing is when one writes from the soul

Until you begin to write, then you shall know the wonders of the written word.

Why do I write? Because I like telling stories and I don't like repeating myself (insert chuckle here).

Beware of advice—even this.

A man's grammar, like Caesar's wife, should not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.

It's okay to write crap. Just don't try publishing it while it's still crap.

From my writer's workshop, "Know when it's time to put everything you've got on the page. Then, rip open a vein and do it!

No good story is quite true.

Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what's wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

Life is not a submarine.

Just get it down on paper, and then we’ll see what to do with it.

Good writing demands self-discipline and constant learning

The most basic rule of editing is that if you can’t bear to read it, no one else can either. So when you find yourself skimming, commit murder.

Writing a full length novel is very much like driving a car with snakes in your pants—you just never know what’s going to happen. -- James Scott Bell

Writer's block, for me, is merely a way of saying "I'm too lazy to sit down and give it the proper time." I want to be a progressive writer, not a lazy one.

You can only write regularly if you’re willing to write badly… Accept bad writing as a way of priming the pump, a warm-up exercise that allows you to write well.

Write about only three things: what you love, what you hate, and what you’re deeply conflicted about.

Storytelling is in our DNA. It's what differentiates humans from other species: we don't just communicate information. We tell stories.

Write at the edges of the day.

Authorpreneurship is the businesses side of writing

If you wanna be a writer, you must learn to paint a picture with words.

Keep trying, especially at first. It can be very discouraging if your submissions keep being rejected by a publisher, but if your work is what people want to read, you should get there eventually!

The unwritten novel has a basilisk’s stare.

There's no such thing as the middle of nowhere. Something is happening everywhere. You just have to find the story in it.

I thought you could beat, pummel, and thrash an idea into existence. Under such treatment, of course, any decent idea folds up its paws, turns on its back, fixes its eyes on eternity, and dies.

Rule #1: Writing is for the creative brain. Editing is for the critical brain. Separate them appropriately.

Act one: put your characters in a tree. Act two: throw rocks at them. Act three: get them down again.

I usually end have one outrageous minor character. He or she says the stuff I wish I had said in real life. Readers will love that character.

I was always taught to write the book you want to read. It's a philosophy I haven't wavered from since.

If you can't give the is-ness of a thing give the not-ness of it! The main thing is to hook up, get the wheels turning, sound off. When your brakes jam, try going in reverse. If often works.

Cutting words can cut your readers but if the intention is pure, the story will resonate loud and true.

Writers need to be open to trying new things. My first bestseller was a cookbook, and from that experience I learned things about marketing a book that benefitted me greatly.

Don't have every dialog go in a straight line to solve the problem. Let your characters argue, be sarcastic, disagree or joke around.

Read. Write. Read some more. Explore the universe through your writing. Practice and learn what moves you and what doesn't.

WHILE writing, just try to have fun with your ms. Enjoy the process, but push on. Always push toward the finish line!

I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear>

Any time a beloved character is killed off, it affects the audience in a very powerful way, especially in a series.

I've been rejected a hundred times. It just takes that one person who totally believes in you!

I think the first draft is so challenging because that elusive BALANCE is so challenging.