First Draft Quotes

91 quotes by 83 authors

The best advice on writing was given to me by my first editor, Michael Korda, of Simon and Schuster, while writing my first book. 'Finish… — Dominick Dunne
Don't stop with your first draft. — P. J. Plauger
The first two chapters of any first draft generally need to be cut. — Aprilynne Pike
This life isn't bad for a first draft. — Joan Konner
I discovered John Truby ten years ago when a friend told me about his screenwriting course. I studied Truby's principles for a year and --… — Caroline Lawrence
Write with abandon and no constraints for first draft. Cut brutally and save in separate files on second draft. Add conflict; don't be afraid to… — Francesca Lia Block
Our capacity to move forward as developing beings rests on a healthy relationship with the past. Psychotherapy, that widespread method for promoting mental health, relies… — Patricia Hampl
Getting the first draft finished is like pushing a peanut with your nose across a very dirty floor. — Joyce Carol Oates
People who go on to be writers are those who can forgive themselves the horror of the first draft. — Alain de Botton
If journalism is the first draft of history, then the Internet simply has provided a new means for delivering that draft far and wide very… — Tom Daschle
Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to it… — Margaret Haddix
This afternoon, burn down the house. Tomorrow, pour critical water upon the simmering coals. Time enough to think and cut and rewrite tomorrow. But today-explode-f… — Ray Bradbury
Fox came to us with the concept for ICE AGE and they came to us with the first draft of the script. They also gave… — Chris Wedge
I work sometimes from outlines, which are immediately abandoned. Sometimes, when I'm trying to find the characters, I'll sketch things out a bit. Sometimes, outlines… — Paul Rudnick
Yes, the first draft is the key. That's why I put so much energy, focus, and attention on the first draft, because I respect that… — Caridad Svich
Fundamentally a good author has his or her own sense of style. There is a natural, deep voice, and that voice is present from the… — Kenzaburo Oe
I wrote the first draft of my first novel at Michigan, and then I wrote the first draft of 'Salvage the Bones' at Stanford. So… — Jesmyn Ward
I certainly wanted to write a book that was honest about New Orleans without explaining it to death, so much so that the first draft… — Poppy Z. Brite
The first draft is just a skeleton-just bare bones. It's like the very first rehearsal of a play, where the director moves the actors around… — Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
To me the only real star of the movie is the writer. And I work with writers very closely, from outline to first draft and… — Dino De Laurentiis

Who Wrote These First Draft Quotes

83 authors contributed a total of 91 First Draft Quotes, led by these top contributors: