Writing Quotes

18562 Writing quotes by 6643 unique authors

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all.… — Raymond Chandler
At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable. — Raymond Chandler
The moment a man sets his thoughts down on paper, however secretly, he is in a sense writing for publication. — Raymond Chandler
A man's true character comes out when he's drunk. — Charlie Chaplin
I picked up the guitar at 11, but even before then, I was writing songs on the organ. — Tracy Chapman
Artists don't talk about art. Artists talk about work. If I have anything to say to young writers, it's stop thinking of writing as art.… — Paddy Chayefsky
The need to write comes from the need to make sense of one's life and discover one's usefulness. — John Cheever
I can't write without a reader. It's precisely like a kiss - you can't do it alone. — John Cheever
For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain and the noise of battle. It has the power to give grief… — John Cheever
It's easier to write about Socrates than about a young woman or a cook. — Anton Chekhov
A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. — Gilbert K. Chesterton
In matters of truth the fact that you don't want to publish something is, nine times out of ten, a proof that you ought to… — Gilbert K. Chesterton
Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. — Gilbert K. Chesterton
Artistic temperament is the disease that afflicts amateurs. — Gilbert K. Chesterton
Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about the things in my pocket. But I found it would be too long; and… — Gilbert K. Chesterton
Writing is showbusiness for shy people. That's how I see it. — Lee Child
I have three desks. One empty for paperwork, one for the internet and email, and one for the writing computer. — Lee Child
All of us write wish fulfillment. — Lee Child
I don't know what the secret is when I am writing it - it really is a surprise to me. — Lee Child
I need a stimulating environment to write because my books are driven at 100 miles per hour at a time. — Lee Child
So long as readers keep reading and my publishers keep publishing, I plan to keep on writing. I'd have to be an idiot to be… — Lee Child
The way to write a thriller is to ask a question at the beginning, and answer it at the end. — Lee Child
It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story. — Agatha Christie
I've always believed in writing without a collaborator, because where two people are writing the same book, each believes he gets all the worry and… — Agatha Christie
History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. — Winston Churchill

Who Wrote These Writing Quotes

6,643 authors contributed a total of 18,562 Writing Quotes, led by these top contributors: