Despair Quote by Joyce Carol Oates

Writing requires the concentration of the writer, demands that nothing else be done except that.

— Carlos Fuentes

“Some days I dread writing dreadfully, but I do it anyway. I've discovered that sometimes writing badly can eventually lead to writing something better.…

— Anne Quindlen

“Writing is a mixed blessing. We, who are addicted, berate ourselves and feel guilty when we don't write and at the same time put…

— Marcia Preston

Writing is a strange and solitary activity. There are dispiriting times when you start working on the first few pages of a novel. Every…

— Patrick Modiano

I know I'm not going to write as well as I used to. I no longer have the stamina to endure the frustration. Writing…

— Philip Roth

I've read somewhere that when you're writing, you should stop while you're doing well so you always want to go back to work.

— Glenn Frey

If you are not discouraged about your writing on a regular basis, you may not be trying hard enough. Any challenging pursuit will encounter…

— Maxwell Perkins

Being a writer, writing for a living, is one long persistence game. Everyone wants you to quit. Quite often, you want to quit. You…

— Kameron Hurley

The point of good writing is knowing when to stop.

— Lucy Maud Montgomery

Writing is a demanding profession and a selfish one. And because it is selfish and demanding, because it is compulsive and exacting, I didn't…

— Rod Serling

Here's the bottom line; writers write. Sometimes words flow easily. Sometimes it's like sloughing through mud. Either way a professional writer keeps writing.

— P. C. Cast

Encourage aspiring writers to continue writing when things are going against them, when it feels hard. Explain the typical obstacles that occur, and encourage…

— Patrick Modiano