Chardonnay Quote by William Murchison

The physical business of writing is unpleasant to me, but the psychic satisfaction of discharging bad ideas in worse English makes me forget it.

— H. L. Mencken

“Each time you sit down to write, you should cleanse your linguistic palate by reading some things that are vastly unlike what you’ve been…

— Michael Erard

Good writing ... involves the agony of turning profoundly difficult thoughts into lucid form, then forcing them into the tight-fitting uniform of language, making…

— Pat Conroy

Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to…

— George Orwell

Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to…

— George Orwell

Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more ­effective your writing. We who write…

— P. D. James

Never expect what you write to be any good, 'cause it's the fear of writing badly that stops you from finding the right words.

— Kate Tempest

All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.

— Francine Prose

The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components,

— Anonymous

I like a fine wine. Who can beat that? I don't think it helps writing; I think it's a hinderance. It helps numb you.

— Gavin Friday

We live in a moment and a culture when reading is really endangered. There's simply no way to write well, though, if you're not…

— Jennifer Egan

Writing in English is like throwing mud at a wall.

— Joseph Conrad