Firsts Quote by John Sayles

I taught everyone a very bad lesson at my publisher because they actually gave me deadlines this time and I'm now meeting them. I…

— Nathan Englander

It can take years. With the first draft, I just write everything. With the second draft, it becomes so depressing for me, because I…

— David Sedaris

Some stories or passages are more difficult and demand more fussing with than others, but, in general, I'm a two-draft writer rather than a…

— John Updike

Only in very rare circumstances will you see something cut out of my first drafts. Maybe it's because of the way I write. I'm…

— R. A. Salvatore

If somebody asked for the first draft of something I'd written, it'd probably be pretty close to whatever got published. I get enjoyment out…

— Chuck Klosterman

Maybe other writers have perfect first drafts, but I am not one of them. I always try to get the book as tight as…

— Sarah Dessen

I generally write a first draft that's pretty lean. Just get the story down.

— Nora Roberts

I am a hopeless pantser, so I don't do much outlining. A thought will occur to me, and I'll just throw it into the…

— Marie Lu

I think people feel for a long time that they ought to know how to write a novel in two drafts.

— Alice Mattison

First drafts are for learning what your story is about.

— Bernard Malamud

I think a lot of the dull parts of first drafts come from a kind of over-managing, intrusive writer who wants to direct traffic.…

— Meg Wolitzer

I was a lot dumber when I was writing the novel. I felt like worse of a writer because I wrote many of the…

— Miranda July