Act Quote by Vikram Seth

The more interesting the 9-to-5 work is, the more it takes away from my real work, which is writing.

— Judith Rossner

Writing is nearly always a matter of finding whatever your brain needs to trick it into being creative, and in my case, a tiny…

— Emma Donoghue

You spend so much time as a writer telling straight and linear stories.

— Nathan Englander

Part of the writer's task is to recognize what he's done, then dive back in and make the connections clearer. I'm a strong believer…

— David Lubar

Writing a novel that works is an extremely difficult thing to do. It requires a level of skill and dedication that always surprises me.

— Bret Easton Ellis

I'm really such a bumbler! Writing fiction is like arranging furniture in a dark room. I can't see what I'm doing. I grope for…

— Joanna Scott

I've never been a very prolific person, so when creativity flows, it flows. I find myself scribbling on little notepads and pieces of loose…

— Kurt Cobain

There's a perception that novels can't usually allow for your kind of absolute attention to detail.

— Zadie Smith

To become a novelist, the most crucial thing one must do is read, read and read again - gradually you begin to think like…

— Avi

Even when it comes to writing fiction, how do you encompass all this stuff that's right on the tip of your tongue? You have…

— Paul Beatty

It takes a lot of energy and a lot of neurosis to write a novel. If you were really sensible, you'd do something else.

— Lawrence Durrell

The lessons learned in journalism also apply. Writing for NPR has taught me to cut a piece in half and then in half again…

— Julianna Baggott