In my experience, cutting back is the crucial act that…

“Writers know all the good reasons for subjecting their work to a sharp trim. Early drafts are notorious for repetition, indirection and overdevelopment of…

— Pamela Erens

Once I've written something it does tend to run away from me. I don't seem to have any part of it - it's no…

— David Bowie

One nice thing about putting the thing away for a couple of months before looking at it is that you start appreciate your own…

— Steven Brust

A piece of writing is like a piece of magic. You create something out of nothing.

— Susanna Clarke

“A real piece of writing is one in which the writer has tried to enrich not only the book, but also his understanding of…

— Karl Wiggins

I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not.

— V. S. Naipaul

So, then, what is style? There are two chief aspects of any piece of writing: 1) what you say and 2) how you say…

— Isaac Asimov

A piece of writing is the product of a series of explosions in the mind.

— Ellen Gilchrist

From a writing point of view, you now have teams of screenwriters working with a director. What's lost in the process is the power…

— Joe Eszterhas

The characters created cannot just be a mouthpiece for the writer. When you look at a piece of writing, and it's genuine and it…

— Kevin Spacey

When I visit schools and talk to students about writing, I give them one word of advice and I give it to them quickly…

— E. L. Konigsburg

A student comes to me with a piece of writing, holds it out, says, 'Is this good?' A whole sequence of emergencies goes off…

— William Stafford

A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.

— Helen Dunmore

Once a piece of writing gets to a moment where it's not going to get much better than it already is, marinate it. If…

— David Starkey

Each piece of writing I undertake, whether a story, novel, play, or poem, begins with an image.

— Norman Lock