I gathered together some pearls of wisdom by writers about writing. I share with you these time-honored quotes to give us all a boost in our commitment to writing. So here goes…
“If you wish to be a writer, write.”
—Epictetus
“If you wish to be a writer you must do two things above all others:
Read a lot and write a lot.”
—Stephen King
“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.”
—Ray Bradbury
“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.”
—Jane Yolen
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway
“We’re past the age of heroes and hero kings. … Most of our lives are basically mundane and dull, and it’s up to the writer to find ways to make them interesting.”
—John Updike
“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.”
—Sidney Sheldon
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”
—William Faulkner
“Writing is its own reward.”
—Henry Miller
“Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them.”
—Flannery O’Connor
“I can’t write five words but that I change seven.”
—Dorothy Parker
“Half my life is an act of revision.”
—John Irving
“Anything is possible if you have enough nerve.”
—J.K. Rowling
“Keep a small can of WD-40 on your desk—away from any open flames—to remind yourself that if you don’t write daily, you will get rusty.”
—George Singleton
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
—Anne Frank
My Personal Favorites:
“I’m a writer, and I will write what I want to write.”
—J.K. Rowling
“I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.”
—Tom Clancy
I hope you have enjoyed these quotes. Feel free to copy down your favorites on sticky notes and keep them where you can see them.
Comments are always welcome!
Chasing The Tale 