Books Quote by Linwood Barclay

I start with a character and a situation, but I don't know what's going to happen until I write it. Sometimes things happen that…

— Louis L'Amour

In a lot of cases, writers discover that the novel needs to begin later in the action than they'd first thought.

— Will Hobbs

Before I begin a novel I have a strong sense of at least one central character and how the story begins, and a more…

— Steve Erickson

“Writers are generally split into two camps: those who carefully outline their stories and know the ending before they begin, and those who refuse…

— John Grisham

When I start, I have a feeling for the characters, and maybe the shape of the story. Sometimes I might even have the last…

— Paul Auster

The concept of writing a novel and not knowing where it's going - I don't know how to do that. Novels are plot- and…

— John Irving

“The beginning of a novel: start a subject, no matter where, and to have the desire to finish, start with very beautiful phrases.”

— Charles Baudelaire

A novel is, hopefully, the starting point of a conversation, one in which the author engages readers and asks that they see things from…

— Anne Fortier

I usually start with something that has some energy, like a compressed character or a situation that's wound up like a spring. Then all…

— Janet Fitch

“Begin your writing, fiction or article, where the action begins. This action can be internal (e.g., an important insight or personal decision) or external…

— Walt Shiel

I've found that in fiction - and this is just the kind of writer I am - I can't really work from an outline.…

— Jesmyn Ward

I start with characters, and then I start writing, and then, if I'm lucky, things start to happen.

— Susan Choi