In fiction there can be no appeal to any authority outside the book itself. . . . the thing has to look… — Percy Lubbock Copy Share Image
I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope… — Anne Lamott Copy Share Image
Novels usually evolve out of 'character.' Characters generate stories, and the shape of a novel is entirely imagined but should have an… — Joyce Carol Oates Copy Share Image
Some writers are prolific; some are shape-shifters. It's rare and intimidating to encounter one who is both. — Rumaan Alam Copy Share Image
“had set out to tell you exactly what happened. But since I am the one writing this, how do I know what… — Bel Kaufman Copy Share Image
If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as… — Jeffery Deaver Copy Share Image
Cut quarrels out of literature, and you will have very little history or drama or fiction or epic poetry left. — Robert Staughton Lynd Copy Share Image
Catch me on a good day, I think half of my books aren't too bad. Catch me on a bad day, I… — Dennis Lehane Copy Share Image
Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits… — Stephen Jay Gould Copy Share Image
The desire to be liked is acceptable in real life but very problematic in fiction. Pleasantness is the enemy of good fiction.… — Katie Kitamura Copy Share Image
“It was true Paige and I had dinner alone. She wanted to stop by and pick up some books — poetry books… — Elissa Schappell Copy Share Image
“To ask why we need libraries at all, when there is so much information available elsewhere, is about as sensible as asking… — Jon Bing Copy Share Image
You didn't plan to write a story; it just happened. Well, it could be argued that the next thing you should do… — George Saunders Copy Share Image
It's true that you might be socially isolated because you're reading in the library, at home and so on, but you're intensely… — Cornel West Copy Share Image
Favorite books and authors while growing up - I'd need a book to list them all. For the sake of brevity: Shakespeare,… — Lloyd Alexander Copy Share Image
So it's not a thing that's a struggle. It's work, but it's not a struggle. It's fun. And she had a very… — Meryl Streep Copy Share Image
Being an editor it's a complicated job, but the last impression I'd want anybody to have is that it's onerous. It's a… — David Remnick Copy Share Image
One thing has always been true: That book or that person who can give me an idea or a new slant on… — Louis L'Amour Copy Share Image
Writers are not mere copyists of language; they are polishers, embellishers, perfecters. They spend hours getting the timing right so that what… — Louis Menand Copy Share Image
We shall not busy ourselves with what men ought to have admired, what they ought to have written, what they ought to… — George Saintsbury Copy Share Image
I write from the perspective of an early 20s kid who is trying to grasp an idea of what the hell is… — Sam Fender Copy Share Image
I smiled at her, but she was already lost in thought, looking around the library as if it held all the answers… — Kami Garcia Copy Share Image
I would love to write something that I'm not in and just be in a rehearsal room as a writer. But I… — Cole Escola Copy Share Image
Cool Story Bro..Why Don't You Write A Book About iT Then Sell iT To Someone Who Actually Gives A Fuhk..! — Anonymous Copy Share Image
“—I really prefer books. No matter how bad a book is, it's unique, but people are all so ordinary. —I think we… — William Gaddis Copy Share Image
Writing from a personal experience can bring about this emotion and power of emotion that can be instantly connected to the instrument,… — Gregory Porter Copy Share Image
I write all the time because I'm lonely. When you're acting, you're working every day all day. But then you have long… — Jesse Eisenberg Copy Share Image
But I think the real tension lies in the relationship between what you might call the pursuer and his quarry, whether it's… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Novel writing is the slowest art form in the world. It is not a sprint. It is not even a marathon. It… — Mohsin Hamid Copy Share Image
“You can read the book, you can wear the shirt, you can even shout the slogans, but unless you know ALL the… — Vivian Banks Copy Share Image
I hate to write! But I love to talk, so I'm told that when people read my books, it like I'm there… — Steven Gundry Copy Share Image
The trouble with fiction," said John Rivers, "is that it makes too much sense. Reality never makes sense. — Aldous Huxley Copy Share Image
I think if you spend much time dwelling on influence you can get self-conscious about every line you write. That's a great… — Ben Fountain Copy Share Image
“MEETING THE EYE You'll probably find that it suits your book to be a bit cleverer than you look. Observe that the… — Piet Hein Copy Share Image
You want to publish with a publisher because a publisher knows how to publish a book. And you don't. You really don't. — Patrick Rothfuss Copy Share Image
Just the circumstances of being in D.C., people give you books, and there are issues you want to learn more about, so… — Mike Quigley Copy Share Image
Editing is not merely a method of the junction of separate scenes or pieces, but is a method that controls the 'psychological… — Vsevolod Pudovkin Copy Share Image
When you're given a certain amount of power - like, you're a writer and an employed writer, and you put pen to… — Salim Akil Copy Share Image
I have so many different projects, I hear voices in my head - the characters talking all at once - and I… — Eli Roth Copy Share Image
I feel like I'm almost ready to write fiction about the border. But even after 10 years of writing nonfiction about it,… — William T. Vollmann Copy Share Image