Writing Quotes

18562 Writing quotes by 6643 unique authors

If you can remember all the accessories that go with your best outfit, the contents of your purse, the starting lineup of the New York… — Stephen King
Must you write complete sentences each time, every time? Perish the thought. If your work consists only of fragments and floating clauses, the Grammar Police… — Stephen King
Just don't pretend you know more about your characters than they do, because you don't. Stay open to them. It's teatime and all the dolls… — Anne Lamott
I started writing novels while an undergraduate student, in an attempt to make sense of the city of Edinburgh, using a detective as my protagonist.… — Ian Rankin
Because I can't seem to escape it. It's a way for me to address and counter my questions about what it means to be human,… — Junot Diaz
In the big picture I write for an audience of people I've never met. By the final draft I'm looking for anything in the prose… — Lionel Shriver
Writing eases my suffering . . . writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence. — Gao Xingjian
One writes to teach, to move or to delight. — Unknown Author
As cows need milking and sweet peas need picking, so writers must continually exercise their mental muscles by a daily stint. — Joan Aiken
Word meanings are like stretchy pullovers, whose outline contour is visible, but whose detailed shape varies with use. — Jean Aitchison
Purists behave as if there was a vintage year when language achieved a measure of excellence which we should all strive to maintain. In fact,… — Jean Aitchison
The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt that it didn't matter. — Edward Albee
Sharing our stories can also be a means of healing. Grief and loss may isolate us, and anger may alienate us. Shared with others, these… — Susan Wittig Albert
If you're going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the… — Louis L'Amour
I think the first duty of all art, including fiction of any kind, is to entertain. That is to say, to hold interest. No matter… — Poul Anderson
If I wanted to write, I had to be willing to develop a kind of concentration found mostly in people awaiting execution. I had to… — Maya Angelou
One of the problems we have as writers is we don't take ourselves seriously while writing; being serious is setting aside a time and saying… — Maya Angelou
Writers learn their craft, above all, from the work of other writers. From reading. — Unknown Author
A good style must, first of all, be clear. It must not be mean or above the dignity of the subject. It must be appropriate. — Aristotle
Keep writing. Keep doing it and doing it. Even in the moments when it's so hurtful to think about writing. — Heather Armstrong
When I feel difficulty coming on, I switch to another book I'm writing. When I get back to the problem, my unconscious has solved it. — Isaac Asimov
Writing is very improvisational. It's like trying to fix a broken sewing machine with safety pins and rubber bands. A lot of tinkering. — Margaret Atwood
Every novel is an equal collaboration between the writer and the reader and it is the only place in the world where two strangers can… — Paul Auster
The words of the world want to make sentences. — Gaston Bachelard
In writing, you discover interior sonorities in words. Dipthongs sound differently beneath the pen. One hears them with their sounds divorced. — Gaston Bachelard

Who Wrote These Writing Quotes

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