Before Quote by Steve Toltz

If you haven't got an idea, start a story anyway. You can always throw it away, and maybe by the time you get to…

— William Campbell Gault

I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.

— Flannery O'Connor

I don't like stories where I'm being given pages and pages of detail.

— Lily King

Writing is a process of discovering. I could never outline a narrative; that just sounds boring. There's no joy of discovery in what you're…

— Bob Shacochis

Writing is always a process of discovery—I never know the end, or even the events on the next page, until they happen. There’s a…

— Kim Edwards

The thing about stories is that they almost always find their way onto the page, even if it takes a while.

— Karl Iagnemma

If you know everything, it keeps you from writing. You don't want a story to burn you out instead of surprising you.

— Joe R. Lansdale

I envy those writers who outline their novels, who know where they're going. But I find writing is a process of discovery.

— Jay McInerney

Usually, I have a lot of acquaintance with the story before I start writing it. When I didn't have regular time to give to…

— Alice Munro

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the…

— Mark Houlahan

I went back to the notion of story, which is always a good thing to have if you're trying to get people to pay…

— David Macaulay

You ought to be able to discover something from your stories. If you don't, probably nobody else will.

— Flannery O'Connor