885 Quotes About Writing-advice

Do what you love. Use the talents you were given. When you begin your journey as a writer, you’ll be told that you can’t, that you won’t, that you mustn’t. But look closely at the lives of those who are discouraging you and ask yourself if this is someone you should be taking advice from.

Go where the pain is, go where the pleasure is.

Destroy your life; then put it back together.You'll get great material, meet some fascinating characters and – side benefit – the skills you develop will give you greater compassion, insight and range with the people you create on the page – or run into off of it.

Max sent Scottie some literary advice, the same dictum he gave every college student who called on him. He stressed the importance of a liberal arts education but urged her to avoid all courses in writing. "Everyone has to find her own way of writing," he wrote Scottie, "and the source of finding it is largely out of literature.

Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when if feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.

She thought a writer should work harder writing a book than she did reading it.

There is nothing better than expressions in words.

There is a ruthlessness to the creative act. It often involves a betrayal of the status quo.

People who want to write books do so because they feel it to be the easiest thing they can do. They can read and write, they can afford any of the instruments of book writing such as pens, paper, computers, tape recorders, and generally by the time they have reached this decision, they have had a simple education.