Writing Quote by Natalie Goldberg: I Write Because

 

“I write because I am alone and move through the world alone. No one will know what has passed through me... I write because there are stories that people have forgotten to tell, because I am a woman trying to stand up in my life... I write out of hurt and how to make hurt okay; how to make myself strong and come home, and it may be the only real home I'll ever have.”

 — Natalie Goldberg

(born January 4, 1948)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg is an American popular author and speaker. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice.Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Natalie Goldberg: How Writers Must Think

 

“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important. Otherwise, if they are not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn't matter. . . Recording the details of our lives is a stance against bombs with their mass ability to kill, against too much speed and efficiency. A writer must say yes to life, to all of life: the water glasses, the Kemp's half-and-half, the ketchup on the counter. It is not a writer's task to say, "It is dumb to live in a small town or to eat in a café when you can eat macrobiotic at home." Our task is to say a holy yes to the real things of our life as they exist – the real truth of who we are: several pounds overweight, the gray, cold street outside, the Christmas tinsel in the showcase, the Jewish writer in the orange booth across from her blond friend who has black children. We must become writers who accept things as they are, come to love the details, and step forward with a yes on our lips so there can be no more noes in the world, noes that invalidate life and stop these details from continuing.”

 — Natalie Goldberg

(born January 4, 1948)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg is an American popular author and speaker. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice.Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Henry David Thoreau: How Vain it is to Sit down to Write

 “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” 

— Henry David Thoreau

(July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) 

Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument for disobedience to an unjust state. Wikipedia

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Writing Quotes by Natalie Goldberg: Writers End Up Writing About Their Obsessions

 

“Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.”

 — Natalie Goldberg

(born January 4, 1948)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg is an American popular author and speaker. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice.Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Natalie Goldberg: Write What Disturbs You

 

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”

 — Natalie Goldberg

(born January 4, 1948)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg is an American popular author and speaker. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice.Wikipedia

Buy Natalie Goldberg books at Amazon

Writing Quote by Stephen King: On Writing Style

“Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.”

— Stephen King

(Born September 21, 1947)

On Writing A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Wikipedia 

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Writing Quote by Zadie Smith: I Want to Write Without Shame

"I want to write without shame or pride or over-compensation in one direction or another. To write freely."

– Zadie Smith

(Born 25 October 1975)

Zadie Adeline Smith FRSL is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, White Teeth, immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor in the Creative Writing faculty of New York University since September 2010. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Zadie Smith: Writing Short Stories

"My short stories have always pushed twenty pages. That’s no length for a short story to be. You either do them short like Carver or you stop trying."

– Zadie Smith

(Born 25 October 1975)

Zadie Adeline Smith FRSL is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, White Teeth, immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor in the Creative Writing faculty of New York University since September 2010. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by W. Somerset Maugham: There are Three Rules for Writing a Novel

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

– W. Somerset Maugham

(January 25, 1874 – December 16, 1965)

William Somerset Maugham CH was an English playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Stephen King: Good Description When Writing is a Learned Skill

“Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing.”

— Stephen King

(Born September 21, 1947)

On Writing A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Wikipedia 

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Writing Quote by Stephen King: Writing Isn’t About Making Money

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”

— Stephen King

(Born September 21, 1947)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Wikipedia 

 Stephen King books at Amazon

Writing Quote by Stephen King: When Writing Talent is Cheaper Than Table Salt

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

— Stephen King

(Born September 21, 1947)

On Writing A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Wikipedia 

 Stephen King books at Amazon

Writing Quote by Stephen King: Read a Lot and Write a Lot In order to Become a Good Writer

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

— Stephen King

(Born September 21, 1947)

On Writing A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Wikipedia 

 Stephen King books at Amazon

Writing Quote by Anton Chekhov: Literature is Accepted as an Art Because it Depicts Life as it Actually is

Quote from Anton Chekhov to Maria Kiselyova, January 14, 1887 on Writing

Your statement that the world is "teeming with villains and villanesses" is true. Human nature is imperfect, so it would be odd to perceive none but the righteous. Requiring literature to dig up a "pearl" from the pack of villains is tantamount to negating literature altogether. Literature is accepted as an art because it depicts life as it actually is. Its aim is the truth, unconditional and honest. Limiting its functions to as narrow a field as extracting "pearls" would be as deadly for art as requiring Levitan to draw a tree without any dirty bark or yellowed leaves. A "pearl" is a fine thing, I agree. But the writer is not a pastry chef, he is not a cosmetician and not an entertainer. He is a man bound by contract to his sense of duty and to his conscience. Once he undertakes this task, it is too late for excuses, and no matter how horrified, he must do battle with his squeamishness and sully his imagination with the grime of life. He is just like any ordinary reporter. What would you say if a newspaper reporter as a result of squeamishness or a desire to please his readers were to limit his descriptions to honest city fathers, high-minded ladies, and virtuous railroadmen?

To a chemist there is nothing impure on earth. The writer should be just as objective as the chemist; he should liberate himself from everyday subjectivity and acknowledge that manure piles play a highly respectable role in the landscape and that evil passions are every bit as much a part of life as good ones.

— Anton Chekhov

(January 29, 1860 – July 15, 1904)

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Wikipedia

 
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Writing Quote by Ernest Hemingway: Writing What You See & Feel

“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.”

— Ernest Hemingway

(July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) 

 Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Ernest Hemingway: You Have to Learn to Write

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” 

— Ernest Hemingway

(July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) 

 Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Zadie Smith: Confidence Trick When Writing a Novel

"It’s such a confidence trick, writing a novel. The main person you have to trick into confidence is yourself. This is hard to do alone."

– Zadie Smith

(Born 25 October 1975)

Zadie Adeline Smith FRSL is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, White Teeth, immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor in the Creative Writing faculty of New York University since September 2010. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Benjamin Percy: When Writing Toss Out the Worst Elements of Genre and Literary Fiction

“Toss out the worst elements of genre and literary fiction — and merge the best. We might then create a new taxonomy, so that when you walk into a bookstore, the stock is divided into ‘Stories that suck’ and ‘Stories that will make your mind and heart explode with their goodness.’.” 

— Benjamin Percy

Born: March 28, 1979

Benjamin Percy is an American author of novels and short stories, essayist, comic book writer, and screenwriter. Wikipedia 

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Writing Quote by William Faulkner: Read Everything to Learn How to Write

“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” 

— William Faulkner

(September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962)

William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner wrote novels, short stories, screenplays, poetry, essays, and a play. Wikipedia


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Writing Quote by Franz Kafka: Don’t Edit Your Own Soul According To The Fashion When Writing

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.

 
— Franz Kafka 

(3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924)

 Franz Kafka was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by William Faulkner: Take Chances With Your Writing

"Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good."

 
 – William Faulkner

(September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962)

William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner wrote novels, short stories, screenplays, poetry, essays, and a play. Wikipedia


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Fiction Writing Quote by George Orwell: I Write Because There is Some Lie That I Want to Expose

"When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing."
 

– George Orwell 

(25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950)

Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, biting social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Ursula Le Guin: How Writers Get Ideas

"I don’t believe that a writer ‘gets’ (takes into the head) an ‘idea’ (some sort of mental object) ‘from’ somewhere, and then turns it into words, and writes them on paper. At least in my experience, it doesn’t work that way. The stuff has to be transformed into oneself, it has to be composted, before it can grow into a story."
 

– Ursula Le Guin

(October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018)

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the Earthsea fantasy series. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote: I'm a Writer

"I'm a writer...anything you say or do may be used in my story."

– Unknown

A writer is a person who uses written words in different styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, plays, screenplays, teleplays, songs, and essays as well as other reports and news articles that may be of interest to the public. Writers' texts are published across a range of media. Skilled writers who are able to use language to express ideas well, often contribute significantly to the cultural content of a society. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Flannery O'Connor: We All Write at Our Own Level of Understanding

"We all write at our own level of understanding, but it is the peculiar characteristic of fiction that its literal surface can be made to yield entertainment on an obvious physical place to one sort of reader while the selfsame surface can be made to yield meaning to the person equipped to experience it there." 

— Flannery O'Connor

(March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964)

Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and thirty-two short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Octavia E. Butler: Writing Good Stuff

"You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it."
 

—  Octavia E. Butler 

(June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006)

Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction author. A multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, she became in 1995 the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Barbara Kingsolver: Beginning a Novel

"Beginning a novel is always hard. It feels like going nowhere. I always have to write at least 100 pages that go into the trashcan before it finally begins to work. It’s discouraging, but necessary to write those pages. I try to consider them pages -100 to zero of the novel. "

— Barbara Kingsolver

(Born April 8, 1955)

Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before she began writing novels. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Linda Yezak: Good Story

"Action is the pulse of any good story, but the character is the heart. If the action has no consequence to the character, the story loses heart."

— Linda Yezak

Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and their funky feline, PB, in Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She has a deep and abiding love for her Lord, her family, and salted caramel. And coffee--with a caramel creamer. Author of award-winning books and short stories, she didn't begin writing professionally until she turned fifty. Taking on a new career every half century is a good thing.

Linda's writing grabs attention from readers and critics alike. Her first novel, Give the Lady a Ride, won the 2011 Grace Award and was a finalist in both the ACFW Genesis and Carol Award contests. The Cat Lady's Secret was also a Genesis Award finalist in 2010, and The Final Ride won the 2017 Texas Association of Authors Best Fiction Award in the Christian Fiction category. Saturday Evening Post gave her short story, "Slider," an honorary mention and published it in their America's Great Fiction Contest. Her most recent honor was when her novella, Ice Melts in Spring, was a finalist for the Selah Award in 2019.

A self-described nut, she says, "I keep my feet candy-coated, because there's no telling when one or both will land in my mouth."

Candy flavor of choice? "Peppermint. Chocolate melts too fast."

Her primary claim to fame is her remarkable ability to walk with her feet in her mouth.

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Writing Quote by Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes: Good Writers

"Good writers probe themselves and their worlds; good writers laugh and cry; good writers observe; good writers don't just talk about writing, they write. Good writing demands your whole self–writing freely, without limits from your unique connections to your world."

— Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes

(born 1954 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is an American bestselling novelist and educator. Dr. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director and the Piper Endowed Chair of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University where she also serves as a faculty member and mentor. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Ernest Hemingway: Writing Craft

 "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."

— Ernest Hemingway

(July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) 

 Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Orson Scott Card: Story Ideas

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them."

 – Orson Scott Card

(born August 24, 1951) 

Orson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by Louis L'Amour: Start Writing

"Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on."

― Louis L'Amour

(March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988)

Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short-story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels; however, he also wrote historical fiction, science fiction, non-fiction, as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. Wikipedia

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Writing Quote by W. Somerset Maugham: Tell Stories

"If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter how you write."

– W. Somerset Maugham

(January 25, 1874 – December 16, 1965)

William Somerset Maugham CH was an English playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Wikipedia

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