“It can take years. With the first draft, I just write everything. With the second draft, it becomes so depressing for me, because I realize that I was fooled into thinking I'd written the story. I hadn't-I had just typed for a long time. So then I have to carve out a story from the 25 or so pages. It's in there somewhere-but I have to find it. I'll then write a third, fourth, and fifth draft, and so on.” ThinkingWritingYearsFirstsLongStoriesRealizingWrittenPagesLong TimeThirdsFourthDepressingFifthFooled Author:David Sedaris
“The idea for each of the stories in this book came in a moment of belief and was written in a burst of faith, happiness, and optimism. Those positive feelings have their dark analogues, however, and the fear of failure is a long way from the worst of them. The worst - for me, at least - is the gnawing speculation that I may have already said everything that I have to say, and am now only listening to the steady quacking of my own voice because the silence when it stops is just too spooky.” WayWritingMayLongSaidBookIdeasMomentsStoriesFeelingsBeliefVoiceDarkMy OwnSilenceWrittenWorstListeningOptimismSteadySpeculationLong WayFear Of FailureSpookyAnaloguePositive Feelings Book:Nightmares & Dreamscapes Source: Nightmares & Dreamscapes
“It is imperfection - not perfection - that is the end result of the program written into that formidably complex engine that is the human brain, and of the influences exerted upon us by the environment and whoever takes care of us during the long years of our physical, psychological and intellectual development.” YearsHumansLongEndsCareResultsBrainEnvironmentWrittenInfluenceDevelopmentIntellectualProgramPerfectionComplexesTake CarePsychologicalImperfectionEnginesNot PerfectHuman BrainEnd ResultsIntellectual DevelopmentHuman Imperfection Author:Rita Levi-Montalcini
“As long as woman regards the Bible as the charter of her rights, she will be the slave of man. The bible was not written by a woman. Within its leaves there is nothing but humiliation and shame for her.” MenLongRightsWrittenRegardShameSlaveHumiliationCharter Author:Robert Green Ingersoll
“Writing books isn't a drastic departure from writing for the stage. I've always written in the long format, five, eight, 10-minute pieces rather than one-liners, so since writing books, the process hasn't changed much. A piece in my live routine can end up as part of one of my HBO specials, and it can also end up in one of the books.” WritingLongBookEndsProcessFivePiecesWrittenMinutesStageChangedEightRoutineWriting A BookDepartureFormatOne LinerHboDrastic Author:George Carlin
“It's a great compliment that people think they're fast reads. It's always funny to me because it takes so long to get a book (written) -- for me, it's never quick.” PeopleThinkingLongBookWrittenCompliment Author:Sarah Dessen
“My theory about writing is that one should write books you'd like to read, but no one else has written yet. So, as long as I stick with that, I'm entertaining myself, and then hopefully my readers as well. I hope to god I realize that I'm repeating myself, if I ever do. But if I don't, I'm sure my readers will let me know.” IfsKnowsShouldWritingWellsLongBookRealizingWrittenTheoryReaderLet MeSticksHopefullyEntertaining Author:Charles de Lint
“To this day, if you ask me how I became a writer, I cannot give you an answer. To this day, if you ask me how a book is written, I cannot answer. For long periods, if I didn't know that somehow in the past I had written a book, I would have given up.” IfsKnowsGivingLongBookPastAsksGivenAnswersWrittenPeriodsAsk MeThis DayGiven Up Author:V. S. Naipaul
“Long ago I abandoned my masterpiece a roll of paper thirty yards long which I filled completely with minute handwriting in my dungeon years ago It vanished when the Bastille fell it vanished as everything written everything thought and planned will disappear” YearsLongWrittenMinutesPaperYears AgoFilledDisappearThirtyAbandonedLong AgoYardsMasterpieceDungeonsHandwritingBastille Book:Marat/Sade ; The Investigation ; and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman Source: Marat/Sade ; The Investigation ; and The Shadow of the Body of the Coachman