Best Good Writing Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 2

“Good writing and dark wit always excite me and they come together thrillingly in this book. It has a quiet grip on the strangeness of the interior and exterior worlds of love and politics. I delighted in the writing and the scope.”

World Writing Book Together Dark Quiet Wit Interiors Scope Delighted Good Writing Exterior Strangeness

Author:Jenny Diski

“It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly a scream pierced the air'. . . . Good writing takes enormous concentration.”

Writing Night Dark Air Enormous Concentration Scream Good Writing Stormy Stormy Nights

Author:Charles M. Schulz

“read widely, not in order to copy someone else's style, but to learn to appreciate and recognize good writing and to see how the best writers have achieved their result. Poor writing is, unfortunately, infectious and should be avoided.”

Should Writing Order Poor Results Style Appreciate Copies Avoided Good Writing Learn To Appreciate

Book:Time to Be in Earnest

Source: Time to Be in Earnest

“Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”

“There are so many burning issues to be dealt with that it's completely understandable and natural that a character is struggling with these issues themselves. In that struggle, you inform the audience. The thing about this writing is that it's very easy to learn. Good writing always is.”

Writing Character Easy Natural Audience Struggle Issues Burning Good Writing

Author:Colm Meaney

“A couple of pieces of advice for the kids who are serious about writing are: first of all, to read everything you can get your hands on so you can become familiar with different forms of writing: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, journalism. That's very important. And also keep a journal. Not so much, because it's good writing practice. Although it is, but more because it's a wonderful source of story starters.”

“Sometime really good writing does you a disservice as an actor. Because you can get lazy. It's doing a lot of the work for you. I guess that's good. But at the same time with material that's not so good, you have to be more inventive, because no thought has been applied to it.”

Writing Doe Has Beens Actors Materials Lazy Good Writing Disservice

Author:Meryl Streep

“You have to read a lot so you know what good writing looks like and you get inspired. You have to write a lot because it's like a sport - you have to practice. And, also, you have to persevere. Don't give up. I got rejected on my first book, like, 14 times, but I just kept going. So believe in yourself and don't give up.”

Knows Giving Writing Firsts Believe Looks Book Sports Practice Giving Up Inspired Believe In Yourself Rejected Believe In You Persevere Don't Give Up Good Writing

Author:Rick Riordan

“I just hope that readers and publishers continue to appreciate good writing and good storytelling in all their various forms. And I hope that people continue to read books, even though we have so many other options for entertainment.”

People Writing Book Form Reader Appreciate Various Entertainment Storytelling Publishers Good Writing Good Storytelling

Author:Karen Thompson Walker

“That is as true for fiction or non-fiction. The writer has to really know their subject. It is really important to remember that the readers are a lot smarter than the writer. Also, good writing has to do with rewriting. You will never get it right the first time. So you rewrite and rewrite again until you get it right. Until you, and the reader, will be able to visualize what you're writing about.”

Knows Writing Firsts Important Able Remember Fiction Subjects Reader First Time Smarter Non Fiction Good Writing Rewriting

Author:Michael Scott

“You have to be an extremely good reader to appreciate what a good writer is. There are some people who are completely insensitive to good writing.”

People Writing Reader Appreciate Good Writing Good Writers Insensitive

Author:Robert Caro

“Comedy is more difficult than drama. I think it's really difficult to make someone laugh because people have very different comedic sensibilities. In drama, you can get away with being a great actor and surrounded by great actors and having good writing. But in comedy you have to listen and you have to perform with a certain rhythm, because if you don't, it's like playing a wrong note in the orchestra and you can hear the off key and it will fall flat and you won't get that instant response.”

“I think that good writing is based on good reading. Maybe it's not about writing today, maybe it's about reading today. Maybe it's about finding the sort of book you would never read.”

Thinking Writing Book Today Reading Findings Good Writing Good Reading

Author:Saul Williams

“Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental, and stale.”

Writing Fall Wise Words Sentimental Prey Predictable Good Writing Stale Polemics

Book:A voice in the wilderness: conversations with Terry Tempest Williams

Source: A voice in the wilderness: conversations with Terry Tempest Williams

“Sometimes with certain writing, you feel like you've got to be literal, hit it hard on the nose, just to get the point across. Good writing is more subversive I think - or good scenes. They are about one thing on the page but you can make it about something completely different.”

Thinking Feels Writing Different Sometimes Hard Certain One Thing Like You Scene Pages Noses Literal Good Writing Subversive

Author:Chace Crawford

“There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are, but through the jungles of self, the world, and of craft.”

World Writing Self Path Garden Various Critical Crafts Royal Jungle Neat Good Writing

Author:Jessamyn West

“The best way to become a successful writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from.”

Way Writing Remember Forget Successful Best Way Good Writing

Author:Gene Fowler

“My fellow actors inspire me a lot and really good writing inspires me. And then trying to stick to the decision to only do something that I think will challenge me and that I, personally and very subjectively, I think is good not do something because I think it will bring me a lot of money or bring me a lot of awards. I've tried to very, very rigorously be highly subjective about what I do. And that's something that I think I have basically lived by.”

Thinking Writing Trying Actors Challenges Decision Inspire Fellows Sticks Awards Lots Of Money Subjective Good Writing

Author:Glenn Close

“And the writers are good in that it's easy to memorize, and good writing has an innate rhythm to it. And I've always felt that it's easier to get in your head than writing that has very kind of mind busting moments.”

Writing Mind Kind Moments Felt Easy Easier Rhythm Innate Good Writing Busting

Author:Glenn Close

“There is no good writing; there is only good rewriting.”

Writing Good Writing Rewriting

Author:Louis D. Brandeis

“Good writing is good writing no matter what genre you're writing in, and I believe that there are only a handful of fundamental craft tools that are essential for any genre-including nonfiction.”

Writing Believe Matter I Believe Essentials Tools No Matter What Fundamentals Including Crafts Genre Nonfiction Handful Good Writing

Author:Georgia Heard

“Good writing is about finding and exploiting anecdotes that resonate with the reader. In storytelling, it's OK if you only make one point, as long as it's a good one.”

Ifs Writing Long Reader Findings Storytelling Good Writing Anecdotes

Author:Ben Clymer

“Bad writing is not easier than good writing. It's just as hard to make a toilet seat as it is a castle window. Only the view is different.”

Writing Different Hard Views Easier Window Seats Castles Toilets Good Writing Bad Writing Toilet Seat

Author:Ben Hecht

“Good writing is like a bomb: it explodes in the face of the reader.”

Writing Faces Reader Bombs Good Writing

Author:Nuruddin Farah

“Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat. He must learn them again.”

Men Writing Humans Heart Long Problem Today Young Spirit Bears Conflict Universal Tragedy Forgotten Young Man Sweat Agony Human Heart Good Writing

Author:William Faulkner

“I don't want to speak too disparagingly of my generation (actually I do, we had a chance to change the world and opted for the Home Shopping Network instead), but there was a view among the student writers I knew at that time that good writing came spontaneously, in an uprush of feeling that had to be caught at once; when you were building that all-important stairway to heaven, you couldn't just stand around with your hammer in your hand.”

“When you've got good writing, you can kind of give up all the research, in a way, and start just following the emotional integrity of the journey of your character.”

Way Giving Writing Kind Character Journey Emotional Integrity Giving Up Research Following Good Writing

Author:Linus Roache

“I have a very healthy appetite for good writing and good characters. Having weak writing is my biggest fear.”

Writing Character Healthy Weak Appetite Good Writing Good Character Biggest Fear

Author:Michael K. Williams

“Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks to "personalize" the author.”

Writing Reading Next Reader Paragraph Good Writing Gimmicks

Book:On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Source: On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

“Good writing is about telling the truth.”

Writing Telling The Truth Good Writing Needs And Wants

Book:Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Source: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

“I think the benefit of being a writer is that I'm looking for the subtext on the page, because all good writing has subtext. And as a writer, you look at the big scope of things, the big story, rather than just your individual story line, because I think it's important to know what you're in and how you fit into it.”

Thinking Knows Writing Looks Important Stories Bigs Individual Lines Fit Benefits Pages Scope Good Writing Subtext

Author:Richard Dormer

“All I've tried to do as an actor is follow the good writing. That's been my main drive. It's not always possible, so when you do come upon it, like when I came upon this, you realize pretty quickly this is something you need to be involved with.”

Needs Writing Actors Realizing Involved Good Writing

Author:Cillian Murphy

“Like with anything, good writing suggest itself pretty strongly.”

Writing Good Writing

Author:Martin Freeman

“So far as good writing goes, the use of the exclamation mark is a sign of failure. It is the literary equivalent of a man holding up a card reading LAUGHTER to a studio audience.”

Men Writing Use Reading Audience Laughter Mark Studios Cards Good Writing Exclamation Exclamation Marks

Author:Miles Kington

“Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as 'good' and other sorts as 'bad' is fearful behavior.”

Needs Writing Letting Go Behavior Fearful Good Writing

Book:On Writing

Source: On Writing

“I don't think you get to good writing unless you expose yourself and your feelings.”

Thinking Writing Feelings Good Writing

Author:Judy Collins

“Writing can come naturally to some. Still, when it comes to good writing, this is true: Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

Writing Stills Hard Reading Easy Damn Good Writing

Author:Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Clichés are what good writing is all about. Because our lives are basically clichés.”

Writing Our Lives Good Writing

Author:Sylvester Stallone

“I'm attracted to good writing. When I read the page and I know what we're after and where we're headed, and I'm fortunate enough to respect that idea and am able to pitch myself toward that, that feels like the culmination of everything that I've spent my life trying to do, since I played that tree in that play in third grade.”

Knows Feels Writing Trying Ideas Enough Play Able Tree Pages Thirds Fortunate Grades Good Writing Culmination Third Grade

Author:Dallas Roberts

“The writer trusts nothing she writes-it should be too reckless and alive for that, it should be beautiful and menacing and slightly out of control. . . . Good writing . . . explodes in the reader's face. Whenever the writer writes, it's always three or four or five o'clock in the morning in her head.”

Should Writing Beautiful Faces Three Morning Five Four Alive Reader Clock Reckless Good Writing

Author:Joy Williams

“Some of my favorite movies are action movies. You want something good to say. That comes from good writing. But writing is not a skill I possess, unfortunately.”

Want Writing Action Skills My Favorite Want Something Good Writing Action Movie

Author:Jason Statham

“I'm curious about writing in the age of online publishing. Because nobody cares about good writing online.”

Writing Care Age Curious Online Publishing Good Writing Nobody Cares

Author:Biz Stone

“Good writing, in my opinion, is writing that looks really easy, so easy that a person who has never written more than a grocery list might convince themself that they could also write a book. That being said, it's always a lot of work, as you know. And then there's this: you have no idea how many failed stories and novels I've attempted. I have files full of stories that didn't work for whatever reason.”

Knows Writing Looks Persons Said Book Ideas Reason Stories Might Easy Opinion Novel Written Lists No Idea Convince Now And Then Files Groceries Good Writing Grocery Lists

Author:Mary J. Miller

“I would rather not write if I'm depressed, or am going through a breakup, or I've had some disappointment, or I'm having a family issue. You don't want to just put out an open wound. Sometimes that just isn't even really good writing. Good writing should be good writing and storytelling and not just therapy or someone's personal journal.”

Ifs Want Should Writing Sometimes Issues Disappointment Be Good Wounds Storytelling Therapy Breakup Journal Good Writing Family Issues

Author:Mandy Stadtmiller

“When you recognize good writing and you're lucky enough to get it, like with Lost, that's what I follow.”

Writing Enough Lost Lucky Good Writing

Author:Nestor Carbonell

“I would have done anything. I just really love the Duplass brothers. I was at a place where I was desperate for good writing. It wasn't the part that attracted me to it; it was just to be able to work with them. And the fact that she's this kind of, like, loose cannon and this kind of desperate 40-year-old is just the icing on the cake.”

Writing Years Kind Done Facts Able Brother Desperate Cake Good Writing Cannons Icing Icing On The Cake

Author:Amanda Peet

“I'm more interested in the writing than in the content per se (good writing can be about wallpaper and I'll devour it).”

Writing Good Writing

Author:Katy Lederer

“It's been reinforced to me, and it's a little cliche, but I've learned that you can't make a movie that even works, much less that's good, without really good writing and really good acting. That lesson has led me to not be distracted, so much, by the other stuff going on in filmmaking and to focus on the essence of a story, and the words and the events and the way that those are interpreted by the actors. That philosophy has taken me to a place that I really like.”

Way Writing Littles Philosophy Stories Actors Stuff Acting Taken Focus Events Lessons Essence I've Learned Filmmaking Distracted Cliche Good Writing Good Acting

Author:Ben Affleck

“With fiction, it could be about anything. It just has to be good writing, like Maria Semple's "Where'd You Go, Bernadette," which I read recently. I want to forget I have a book in my hand.”

Want Writing Book Hands Forget Fiction Be Good Good Writing

Author:Cheryl Strayed

“I guess it's a bit cliché, but as an actor, I really admire good writing. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but it's the execution that really makes it work.”

Writing Ideas Actors Bits Admire Execution Cliche Great Idea Good Writing

Author:Mike Colter

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Good Writing Quotes