Writing Quotes by Roger Ebert

12 Writing quotes by Roger Ebert

Ebert’s twelve lines on writing feel like a quick, sharp briefing for anyone who loves movies and words. His film‑critic perspective translates into practical tips about pacing, storytelling, and the power of a well‑crafted scene.

Rate this collection: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

A lot of first novels are written long before they're actually put down on paper.

Roger Ebert

Image

I find that when I am actually writing, I enter a zone of concentration too small to admit my troubles.

Roger Ebert

Image

When I am writing my problems become invisible and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am…

Roger Ebert

Image

Just write, get better, keep writing, keep getting better. It's the only thing you can control.

Roger Ebert

Image

To say that George Lucas cannot write a love scene is an understatement; greeting cards have expressed more passion.

Roger Ebert

Image

When I write, I fall into the zone many writers, painters, musicians, athletes, and craftsmen of all sorts seem to share: In…

Roger Ebert

Image

“Unlike modern films where superstars dominate every scene, the Hollywood films of the golden era have depth in writing and casting, so…

Roger Ebert

Image

The screenplay is so well-written in a scruffy, fanzine way that you want to rub noses in it - the noses of…

Roger Ebert

Image

“ (1) the Muse visits during, not before, the act of composition, and (2) the writer takes dictation from that place in…

Roger Ebert

Image

It is human nature to look away from illness. We don't enjoy a reminder of our own fragile mortality. That's why writing…

Roger Ebert

Image

When I write a political column for the Chicago Sun-Times, when liberals disagree with me, they send in long, logical e-mails explaining…

Roger Ebert

Image

I was indeed a snob, if you agree with this definition: 'A person who believes that their tastes in a particular area…

Roger Ebert

Image

Other authors on Writing

More by Roger Ebert

It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…

Roger Ebert

Image

It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…

Roger Ebert

Image

I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take…

Roger Ebert

Image

“We’d had a revelation. This was the direction American movies should take: into idiosyncratic characters, into dialogue with an ear for the vulgar and…

Roger Ebert

Image

“Most courtroom movies feel it necessary to end with a clear-cut verdict. But 12 Angry Men never states whether the defendant is innocent or…

Roger Ebert

Image

What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…

Roger Ebert

Image

I value the kind of prayer when you stand at the edge of the sea, or beneath a tree, or smell a flower, or…

Roger Ebert

Image

“One of my delights in these books, on the other hand, has been to include movies not often cited as “great”—some because they are…

Roger Ebert

Image

A movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though you might agree or disagree…

Roger Ebert

Image

It is human nature to look away from illness. We don't enjoy a reminder of our own fragile mortality.

Roger Ebert

Image

Gene [Siskel] often mentioned something François Truffaut once told him: the most beautiful sight in a movie theater is to walk down to the…

Roger Ebert

Image

A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.

Roger Ebert

Image

James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.

Roger Ebert

Image

Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive.

Roger Ebert

Image

I think we have to get beyond the idea that we have to categorize people. We can now have action movies with two stars…

Roger Ebert

Image