Home / Quotes / Quote by W. Somerset Maugham

Quote by W. Somerset Maugham

“Words have weight, sound and appearance; it is only by considering these that you can write a sentence that is good to look at and good to listen to.”

Quote by W. Somerset Maugham

Book:Mr. Maugham Himself

Work

Mr. Maugham Himself

This biography delves into the life of W. Somerset Maugham, examining his personal experiences, literary achievements, and the impact he had on the world of literature. The book offers a comprehensive look at Maugham's journey from his early years to his later years, highlighting his development as a writer and his contributions to the literary world. more

Author

W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham was a British playwright known for his sharp wit and insightful portrayal of human nature. Born on January 25, 1874, and passing away on December 16, 1965, Maugham's plays often delved into the complexities of human relationships and the social dynamics of his era. more

You May Also Like

“After finishing the first draft, I work for as long as it takes (for two or three weeks, most often) to rework that first draft on a computer. Usually that involves expansion: filling in and adding to, but trying not to lose the spontaneous, direct sound. I use that first draft as a touchstone to make sure everything else in that section has the same sound, the same tone and impression of spontaneity.”

Writing Trying Firsts Long Two Use Three Sound Loses Week Computer Direct Impression Tone Expansion Spontaneous Sections Filling Spontaneity Finishing Touchstones Filling In Rework

Author:Kent Haruf

“Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said' . . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.”

Way Writing Said Use Sin Rhythm Mortals Earnest Verbs Exposing Adverbs Mortal Sin

Author:Elmore Leonard

“How do you write? You write, man, you write, that's how, and you do it the way the old English walnut tree puts forth leaf and fruit every year by the thousands. . . . If you practice an art faithfully, it will make you wise, and most writers can use a little wising up.”

Ifs Men Way Writing Years Littles Art Use Practice Wise Tree Fruit Leafs Walnuts Old English Walnut Trees

Author:William Saroyan

“In the most basic way, writers are defined not by the stories they tell, or their politics, or their gender, or their race, but by the words they use. Writing begins with language, and it is in that initial choosing, as one sifts through the wayward lushness of our wonderful mongrel English, that choice of vocabulary and grammar and tone, the selection on the palette, that determines who's sitting at that desk. Language creates the writer's attitude toward the particular story he's decided to tell.”

Source: The Getaway Car: A Donald Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany

“Acutely aware of the poverty of my means, language became obstacle. At every page I thought, 'That's not it.' So I began again with other verbs and other images. No, that wasn't it either. But what exactly was that it I was searching for? It must have been all that eludes us, hidden behind a veil so as not to be stolen, usurped and trivialized. Words seemed weak and pale.”

Writing Mean Has Beens Language Behinds Poverty Pages Weak Obstacles Pale Veils Stolen Verbs Elude Elude Us

Author:Elie Wiesel

“And the reason you hate writing so much is because you start analyzing your work before you're done pouring it onto the page. Your Left-brain won't let your Right-brain do it's job ... Your Right-brain gets the words on the page. The Left-brain makes them sing.”

Writing Reason Done Jobs Hate Left Brain Pages Pouring Analyzing Left Brain

Author:Jeff Bollow

“There are people who have never studied writing who are capable of being writers. I know this because I am an example. I was a part-time registered nurse, a wife, and a mother when I began publishing. I'd taken no classes, had no experience, no knowledge of the publishing world, no agent, no contacts ... Take the risk to let all that is in you, out. Escape into the open.”

People Knows World Writing Mother Class Taken Wife Risk Example Capable Contact Agents Nurse Publishing Part Time

Author:Elizabeth Berg

“Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That's it in a nutshell ... In order to be creative you have to know how to prepare to be creative.”

Knows Writing Order Results Creativity Know How Creative Habit Good Work Be Creative Creative Writing Work Habits

Author:Twyla Tharp

“While there is no quick fix for instant, pain-free creativity, creative recovery (or discovery) is a teachable, trackable spiritual process. Each of us is complex and highly individual, yet there are common recognizable denominators to the creative recovery process.”

Writing Pain Spiritual Individual Process Common Creativity Creative Discovery Complexes Recovery Instant Quick Fixes Teachable

Book:The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

Source: The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

“This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Some days you don't want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway. You practice whether you want to or not. You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run ... That's how writing is too ... One of the main aims in writing practice is to learn to trust your own mind and body; to grow patient and nonaggressive.”

Want Writing Mind Body Inspiration Running School Desire Three Grows Waiting Steps Practice Aim Patient Miles Mind And Body Every Step Deep Desire

Book:Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Source: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within