Books Quote by Chris Baty

Every first draft sucks, so when you have your favorite novel, and you're like, 'Wow, this is a masterpiece,' and then you write your…

— Tomi Adeyemi

“First draft: let it run. Turn all the knobs up to 11. Second draft: hell. Cut it down and cut it into shape. Third…

— Terry Pratchett

“Kneading memory makes the dough of fiction; which we know, sometimes never stops rising.”

— Barry Unsworth

“Getting the first draft finished is like pushing a very dirty peanut across the floor with your nose.”

— Joyce Carol Oates

Often as a writer, you get your first draft out, and then you look and think, 'Now, what have I got here.' You're really…

— Chris Chibnall

“Somedays you have to write even when you think you're putting out crap. You just need to tell yourself that you'll fix the problems…

— Christopher Rice

“A novel in progress doesn't have a clear, forward process. It’s messy, like a beloved, balky child.”

— Kay Kenyon

“This afternoon, burn down the house. Tomorrow, pour critical water upon the simmering coals. Time enough to think and cut and rewrite tomorrow. But…

— Ray Bradbury

Really, what you should tell a novelist is, 'Keep going until you finish the draft. Don't show it to anyone.'

— Andrew Sean Greer

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story. -Terry Pratchett”

— Anna Blondell

“Just as all writers were beginners once, so were all novels. They all went through rough stages, even the ones by our most hallowed…

— Roz Morris

“What's this "rough life of a novelist" bullshit? You sound like an idiot. You're a writer. At least give yourself better lines.”

— Maki Murakami