“Don't ever quit. Never quit. Never show anybody you're hurt. Grin and walk through the cannon smoke. It will drive them up the wall. You always stay true to your own principles. You always believe in your gift. God doesn't make mistakes when he presents someone with a gift like that. It's there for a reason. Tell the naysayers, those who reject you, to drop dead! Who cares?” WritingBelieveReasonShowsCareHurtWalksMistakePrinciplesWallQuittingSmokeMaking MistakesRejectsBelieve In YouWho CaresNever QuitAlways BelieveStay TrueCannonsNaysayersRejects You Author:James Lee Burke
“The best thing about being a best-selling writer is being a best-selling writer. More seriously, today I can write full time and pay the bills.” WritingI CanTodayPayBillsSellingBest Things Author:James Lee Burke
“writing is like being in love. You never get better at it or learn more about it. The day you think you do is the day you lose it. Robert Frost called his work a lover's quarrel with the world. It's ongoing. It has neither a beginning nor an end. You don't have to worry about learning things. The fire of one's art burns all the impurities from the vessel that contains it.” ThinkingWorldWritingArtEndsLosesWorryFireLove YouLoversGet BetterVesselQuarrelsOngoingBeing In LoveFrostImpurity Author:James Lee Burke
“If you don't compromise your gift, if you write each day as well as you can, and then submit your work and not worry about it and go on to the next piece, you suddenly find oddly enough that you're no more interested in the applause than the silence. You don't hear either one of them. You can never listen to the naysayers. If you do you won't survive.” IfsWritingWellsEnoughNextSilenceWorryPiecesGoes OnCompromiseEach DaySubmitApplauseNaysayers Author:James Lee Burke
“You do it a day at a time. You just put your rejection slips in a shoebox and tell yourself one day you're going to autograph them and sell them at auction.” WritingOne DaySellsRejectionSlipsAutographsAuctions Author:James Lee Burke
“Write for the love of your art. Someplace down the road, the money, the fame, they'll come, but by that time you won't be thinking in terms of money or fame.” ThinkingWritingArtTermFameDown The Road Author:James Lee Burke
“You have two choices in life. You either die or do something with your time. You're going to be doing something - why not write?” WritingTwoDiesChoicesWhy NotLife ChoicesTwo Choices Author:James Lee Burke
“I wouldn't write anything autobiographical. If you've lived a life like Laurence of Arabia, it might be a consideration, but otherwise it's a little bit vain, it seems to me.” IfsWritingLittlesSeemsMightBitsLittle BitVainConsiderationArabia Author:James Lee Burke
“Today, there are more opportunities for writers in terms of access to larger success, but it's more difficult to publish a literary novel in the lower ranges. In other words, you almost have to hit a home run. You can hit a triple, maybe, but nobody's interested in a single.” WritingHomeRunningTodayOpportunityDifficultTermNovelAccessRangePublishHome Run Author:James Lee Burke
“You do it a day at a time. You write as well as you can, you put it in the mail, you leave it under submission, you never leave it at home.” WritingWellsHomeMailSubmission Author:James Lee Burke
