Demands Quote by Hilton Als

I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter…

— Rick Riordan

I think the only person a writer has an obligation to is himself. If what I write doesn't fulfill something in me, if I…

— Truman Capote

I'm not like some other writers: I have no actual urgent need or desire to add to what's written. You write it; if you're…

— Tom Stoppard

It's an awful feeling to write something that you feel is really important... and to feel that you're being published by people who really…

— Alice Walker

For me, it's always about what's on the page. I have tremendous respect for writing. When you recognize good writing, and you're lucky enough…

— Nestor Carbonell

Writing is a necessity and often a pleasure, but at the same time, it can be a great burden and a terrible struggle.

— Jonathan Lethem

For me, as a writer, I desperately want to be read. I'm very conscious of readers as I'm writing. I think, 'If you write…

— Matt Haig

“Most days, writing simply requires work-ethic, discipline, clarity, focus, time. Other days...it will demand absolutely everything of you.”

— Christy Hall

You like to write. It's the single most important quality for someone who wants to be a writer. But not in itself enough.

— Haruki Murakami

Most writers want to share their essay or book much too quickly. Those who accept the pain of hard work and revising are those…

— Lee Gutkind

It's hard work, writing, you know. Honestly, a fight every day against your own limitations. You have to squeeze books out of your brain,…

— Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard,…

— Anne Lamott