Approach Quote by Liza Campbell

I just focus on getting the first scene right, with a few lines about the overall plot, and then the book grows organically.

— Alexander McCall Smith

I'm all for whatever transitions the book properly to a movie.

— Gillian Flynn

The rewriting is always crucial to what I do; whenever I do a scene, I always tell myself that this isn't final and that…

— Robert Cormier

“Option 2: Begin at the End It’s sometimes a very fun way to open a book that you show the reader the last scene,…

— Emma Fisher

After I finish writing a chapter, I'll print it out, cut it up into paragraphs, and cut away any transition sentences. Then I shuffle…

— Erik Larson

We don't outline, so we don't have prospective tasks to divide up. It's just, we start at the beginning and talk the first scene…

— Ethan Coen

Usually I work out the plot before I start. This time I thought: Writers always talk about not knowing where a book is going…

— Daniel Kehlmann

As I got farther and farther along in the series I did less and less preparation. I didn't use outlines or sketches. I just…

— Jhonen Vasquez

What I do usually is read the book first, for pleasure, to see if my brain starts connecting with it, as a movie. And…

— Richard LaGravenese

Each book develops a strong organic shape. And when that shape is complete, the book is complete. I don't know where the end is.…

— Diana Gabaldon

I don't necessarily start with the beginning of the book. I just start with the part of the story that's most vivid in my…

— Beverly Cleary

I don't see how anybody starts a novel without knowing how it's going to end. I usually make detailed outlines: how many chapters it…

— John Barth