--- title: "3 Creative process Quotes By Kurt Vonnegut" description: "3 Creative process quotes by Kurt Vonnegut. Plus more from Kurt Vonnegut and more Creative process sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg" --- > [“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-first-rule-do-not-use-semicolons-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg) > [“Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-innocent-your-leading-characters-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/kurt-vonnegut-41_adversity_be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-inno_2549345.jpg) > [If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-and-you-don-t-have-the-nerve-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-a_3190927.jpg) ## Other authors on Creative process - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-kao-51706.jpg) John Kao 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/john-kao/) - [Laurie E. Smith 8 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/laurie-e-smith/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-abhijit-naskar-99.jpg) Abhijit Naskar 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/abhijit-naskar/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-twyla-tharp-92503.jpg) Twyla Tharp 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/twyla-tharp/) - [Kilroy J. Oldster 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kilroy-j-oldster/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-julia-cameron-54149.jpg) Julia Cameron 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/julia-cameron/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/#itemlist", "name": "3 Creative process Quotes By Kurt Vonnegut", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college. And I realize some of you may be having trouble deciding whether I am kidding or not. So from now on I will tell you when I'm kidding. For instance, join the National Guard or the Marines and teach democracy. I'm kidding. We are about to be attacked by Al Qaeda. Wave flags if you have them. That always seems to scare them away. I'm kidding. If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-first-rule-do-not-use-semicolons-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.\" [From the preface.]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-innocent-your-leading-characters-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/kurt-vonnegut-41_adversity_be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-inno_2549345.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/kurt-vonnegut-41_adversity_be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-inno_2549345.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/kurt-vonnegut-41_adversity_be-a-sadist-no-matter-how-sweet-and-inno_2549345.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-and-you-don-t-have-the-nerve-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-a_3190927.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-a_3190927.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_if-you-want-to-really-hurt-you-parents-a_3190927.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/", "name": "Creative process Quotes by Kurt Vonnegut", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_here-is-a-lesson-in-creative-writing-fir_570308.jpg" }, "description": "3 Creative process quotes by Kurt Vonnegut. Plus more from Kurt Vonnegut and more Creative process sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Creative Process", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/kurt-vonnegut/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```