Best novel & writing Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 4

“Novel writing is a kind of private pleasure, even if nothing comes of it in worldly terms.”

Ifs Writing Kind Term Pleasure Novel Worldly Novel Writing

Author:Barbara Pym

“Writing novels is an essentially amateur activity.”

Writing Novel Activity

Book:13 Ways of Looking at the Novel

Source: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel

“The desire to write a novel is the single required prerequisite for writing a novel.”

Writing Desire Novel Prerequisites

Book:13 Ways of Looking at the Novel

Source: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel

“Probably writers should forget what it was like to write the last novel, and the one before that, and the one before that, or we should all be plumbers. It must be good to be a plumber. Everyone is happy to see you, and no one reviews your work.”

Should Writing Lasts Forget Novel Be Good Reviews Plumber Happy To See You

Author:Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

“Anyone could write a novel given six weeks, pen paper, and no telephone or wife.”

Writing Given Novel Wife Week Paper Six Pens Telephones

Author:Evelyn Waugh

“Many years from now when your children ask what New York City was like just after 9/11, this will be the book you give them in response. It's an exquisite novel full of heart, soul, passion and intelligence, and it's the one this great New York author was born to write.”

Giving Writing Years Heart Children Book Soul Passion Asks Born Cities Novel New York Our Children Response Your Children New York City Exquisite

Author:Lee Child

“I've told youngsters not to write their autobiographical novel at the age of twenty-one; to save it for the time when they're fifty-one or sixty-one. They should write other novels first, to learn their craft; they shouldn't cut their teeth on the valuable material of childhood because they'll never have better material, ever, to work with.”

Should Writing Firsts Age Novel Cutting Childhood Materials Twenties Valuable Teeth Crafts Fifty Sixty Autobiography Twenty One Youngsters

Author:Laura Z. Hobson

“At DePauw, I was teaching writing and fiction. The things I wanted to teach, more than anything else, were form and theory of the novel, of narrative. I liked those classes.”

Writing Wanted Form Fiction Class Teach Novel Teaching Theory Narrative Teaching Writing

Author:Nic Pizzolatto

“This is, if not a lifetime process, it's awfully close to it. The writer broadens, becomes deeper, becomes more observant, becomes more tempered, becomes much wiser over a period time passing. It is not something that is injected into him by a needle. It is not something that comes on a wave of flashing, explosive light one night and say, 'Huzzah! Eureka! I've got it!' and then proceeds to write the great American novel in eleven days. It doesn't work that way. It's a long, tedious, tough, frustrating process, but never, ever be put aside by the fact that it's hard.”

“For me, the main inspiration to write a story or novel is the voice of its central character, or the narrative voice of the story itself.”

Writing Character Stories Inspiration Voice Novel Narrative Inspiration To Write Narrative Voice

Author:Scott Bradfield

“In terms of a "career," I never have long-term plans, and certainly don't want to spend several years, say, writing a "long" novel.”

Want Writing Years Long Term Careers Novel Plans Long Term

Author:Scott Bradfield

“I started to write a series of fantasy novels when I was eleven. I have never taken anything artistic as seriously; since then, writing has felt like an attempt to get back there, to my bedroom, my maps, those races and languages and runes.”

Writing Language Felt Race Fantasy Novel Taken Series Artistic Maps Get Back Bedroom Eleven Runes Fantasy Novels

Author:Ken Baumann

“My novels tend to take a long time to become exactly what they're going to be. They're fluid messes until I've done a ton of editing and refining and rewriting. When I write novels, I always make related scrapbooks to help me organize and test my intentions.”

Writing Long Done Helping Novel Long Time Tests Intention Mess Related Help Me Editing Organize Fluid Rewriting Refining

Author:Dennis Cooper

“I feel like they are two different things, and when I write books, they're just books. If they can be movies that's okay. But I would write a novel that couldn't be a film.”

Ifs Feels Writing Two Book Different Film Novel Okay Different Things Two Different Things

Author:Augusten Burroughs

“I've heard Stephen King say that when you write a novel you end up revealing everything about yourself.”

Writing Ends Novel Heard Kings About Yourself Revealing

Author:Ernest Cline

“One of the things about writing a novel is you can do it any way you want. It's your voice that's important and I see absolutely no reason why a screenplay can't be the same. It makes it a hell of a lot easier when you're the writer and the director.”

Way Want Writing Important Reason Voice Can Do Novel Hell Easier Directors Reason Why No Reason You Can Do It Screenplays

Author:Quentin Tarantino

“I'm not writing novels, the screenplays are my novels, so I'm gonna write it the best that I can. If the movie never gets made, it'd almost be okay because I did it. It's there on the page.”

Ifs Writing Made I Can Novel Pages Okay Made It Screenplays

Author:Quentin Tarantino

“Writing screenplays is incredibly hard. I can't call it joy. Writing Novels? Joy. Directing? Joy. Writing Screenplays? That's where you pay all your dues.”

Writing I Can Hard Joy Pay Novel Dues Screenplays

Author:Stephen Chbosky

“The Anglo-American tradition is much more linear than the European tradition. If you think about writers like Borges, Calvino, Perec or Marquez, they're not bound in the same sort of way. They don't come out of the classic 19th-century novel, which is where all the problems start. 19th-century novels are fabulous and we should all read them, but we shouldn't write them.”

Ifs Thinking Way Should Writing Problem Novel Century Tradition Bounds Classic Fabulous 19th Century Linear Borges American Tradition Marquez

Author:Jeanette Winterson

“I know I'll keep writing poems. That's the constant. I don't know about novels. They're hard. It takes so much concentrated effort. When I'm writing a novel it's pretty much all I can do. I get bored. It takes months. Movies do the same thing. It's all-encompassing. It feels like I'm going to end up writing poems, short stories and screenplays.”

Knows Feels Writing I Can Ends Hard Stories Can Do Effort Novel Months Constant Bored Short Story Screenplays Writing Poems

Author:Sherman Alexie

“Books are great for if you want to work on the craft of writing for yourself, or, you know, to write novels or indie films, stuff like that.”

Ifs Knows Want Writing Book Film Stuff Novel Crafts Indie Films Writing For Yourself

Author:Thomas Lennon

“I never thought I would write the way that I write for the studios now, which is like, not little novels, but be someone who literally is more like, you know, sometimes I guess we describe, we're more Salieri than Mozart.”

Knows Way Writing Littles Sometimes Novel Like You Studios Salieri

Author:Thomas Lennon

“Well into the 19th century there were pronouncements from just about every branch of science and medicine that reading, writing, and thinking were dangerous for women. Articles in the Lancet declared that women's brains would burst and their uteruses atrophy if they engaged in any form of rigorous thinking. The famous physician J.D. Kellogg insisted that novel reading was the greatest cause of uterine disease among young women and urged parents to protect their daughters from the dreaded consequences of print.”

“Starting a new novel is a little like starting a new relationship - you have to be prepared to commit for at least three years and put up with the domestic tedium as well as the emotional highs!”

Writing Years Wells Littles Three Novel Emotional Prepared Starting Commit Three Years Be Prepared New Relationship Tedium

Author:Tobsha Learner

“The only justification for writing a novel is that it should be wonderful. Adequate is inadequate.”

Should Writing Novel Wonderful Justification Adequate Inadequate

Author:Janet Burroway

“I'm not looking to write the great American novel, win a Pulitzer or teach history. I write to entertain my readers.”

Writing Winning Teach Novel Reader Great American

Author:Dorothy Garlock

“Some authors write nonsense in a clear style, and others sense in an obscure one; some can reason without being able to persuade, others can persuade without being able to reason; some dive so deep that they descend into darkness, and others soar so high that they give us no light; and some, in a vain attempt to be cutting and dry, give us only that which is cut and dried. We should labor, therefore, to treat with ease of things that are difficult; with familiarity, of things that are novel; and with perspicuity, of things that are profound.”

Source: Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think

“I don't write tracts, I write novels. I'm not a preacher, I'm a fiction writer.”

Writing Fiction Novel Preacher Fiction Writers

Author:Ursula K. Le Guin

“40 Words for Sorrow is brilliant-one of the finest crime novels I've ever read. Giles Blunt writes with uncommon grace, style and compassion and he plots like a demon. This book has it all-unforgettable characters, beautiful language, throat-constricting suspense.”

Writing Book Character Beautiful Language Compassion Novel Grace Style Crime Sorrow Brilliant Suspense Demon Plot Throat Finest Uncommon Blunt Unforgettable Crime Novels

Author:Jonathan Kellerman

“Writing novels is where I'm most comfortable. It's a very intimate experience.”

Writing Novel Comfortable Intimate

Author:Matthew Nable

“The process of writing a novel begins with a pang, a moment of recognition, and a situation, a character, or something you read in a paper, that seems to go off, like a solar flare inside your head.”

Writing Moments Character Seems Process Situation Novel Paper Recognition Flare Solar Flares

Author:Martin Amis

“I taught elementary school and painted apartments for ten years. Now I write full-time and never have to change a thing I write. Every book comes to me in a flash of inspiration and takes me about two seconds to finish. The longer books, like the Time Warp Trio novels, take a little longer to write - more like four seconds.”

Writing Years Littles Two Book Inspiration School Novel Four Taught Ten Take Me Seconds Flash Apartment Elementary School Warp Trios

Author:Jon Scieszka

“I was very afraid to write a novel - it was a dream for a very long time, and it was one of the few things that I was afraid to try.”

Writing Trying Long Dream Novel Long Time

Author:Melissa Marr

“I think the main thing to remember when writing a novel is to stay true to the characters.”

Thinking Writing Character Remember Novel Remember When Stay True

Author:Cassandra Clare

“When I started, I was pretty sure I was going to be writing some goofy little wizard novels that might make me some part-time money and would hopefully lead to something I could do better.”

Writing Littles Might Novel Hopefully Wizards Goofy Part Time

Author:Jim Butcher

“If you enjoy math and you write novels, it's very rare that you'll get a chance to put your math into a novel. I leapt at the chance.”

Ifs Writing Enjoy Chance Novel Math

Author:Mark Haddon

“I love short stories - reading and writing them. The best short stories distill all the potency of a novel into a small but heady draught. They are perfect reading material for the bus or train or for a lunchtime break. Everything extraneous has been strained off by the author. The best short stories pack the heft of any novel, yet resonate like poetry.”

Writing Has Beens Stories Reading Perfect Break Novel Materials Train Bus Short Story Packs Reading And Writing Short Love Potency Draught Lunchtime Best Short

Author:Ian Rankin

“Growing up devouring horror comics and novels, and being inspired to become a writer because of horror novels, movies, and comic books, I always knew I was going to write a horror novel.”

Writing Book Novel Growing Up Growing Horror Inspired Comic Comic Book Devouring

Author:Colson Whitehead

“There's something really nice about writing something on Wednesday and watching it being performed live for a studio audience on Tuesday. You never really get that with novels.”

Writing Novel Audience Nice Studios Really Nice Tuesday Wednesday

Author:Jennifer Weiner

“The secret of keeping young is to read children's books. You read the books they write for little children and you'll keep young. You read novels, philosophy, stuff like that and it makes you feel old.”

Feels Writing Children Littles Book Philosophy Young Stuff Secret Novel Children's Books

Author:John Cheever

“Sometimes I ask myself if writing novels is even respectable.”

Ifs Writing Sometimes Asks Novel Respectable

Author:Lorrie Moore

“The writing in Mission to Paris, sentence after sentence, page after page, is dazzling. If you are a John le Carr fan, this is definitely a novel for you.”

Ifs Writing Novel Fans Pages Missions Sentences Paris Dazzling

Author:James Patterson

“When I write a novel, every word is mine. I welcome suggestions from my editor, but in the end, I make all the final decisions.”

Writing Ends Decision Novel Mines Finals Welcome Editors Suggestions

Author:Louis Sachar

“To this day, The Duke and I remains particularly close to my heart; I felt it was the novel in which my writing took a huge leap forward.”

Writing Heart Felt Novel Huge My Heart Remains This Day Leap Dukes Close To My Heart

Author:Julia Quinn

“I have some art, but I am a hobbyist. I would not consider myself an expert but in the course of writing this novel I became very familiar with the various movements in American Modern Art from 1900 onwards.”

Writing Art Courses Novel Modern Movement Various Familiar Experts Modern Art

Author:Nicholas Sparks

“I have sat with the mothers who have lost addicted sons. I have sat with families of kids who have been killed in drug-related gang violence. I have been to the prisons. I have seen the effects. At some point in time, I felt I had to do something other than write a novel about it, that I needed to try to make some sort of contribution, at least try to make some sort of difference in the real world.”

World Writing Trying Has Beens Real Kids Mother Lost Felt Differences Novel Violence Effects Son Needed Drug Prison Sat Related Contribution Real World Gang Gang Violence

Author:Don Winslow

“NaNo[ National Novel Writing Month] is an awesome opportunity to stretch your writing muscles and gives you permission to write in a way you probably wouldn't do in a normal circumstance.”

Way Giving Writing Opportunity Novel Months Circumstances Normal Muscles Permission Novel Writing Nano

Author:Michelle J. Howard

“I think that books for young people should have serious and important themes, they shouldn't be trivial. So the books I write, they would be the kind of stories you would write in an adult novel only they just happen to feature a child at the center of them.”

People Thinking Should Writing Kind Children Important Book Stories Happens Would Be Young Novel Serious Adults Should Have Features Theme

Author:John Boyne

“I enjoy the research element. There are so many stories from the past that interest me, that I want to learn more about, just as an interested person. And if I'm going to learn, if I'm going to research, it's probably going to lead me to writing a novel.”

Ifs Want Writing Persons Stories Past Enjoy Interest Novel Elements Research Leading Me

Author:John Boyne

“What I found interesting writing a screenplay as opposed to writing a novel is not the obvious thing, which is having to pare everything down and find the kind of essence, the skeleton if you like, which can then be fleshed out by performance and cinematography.”

Ifs Writing Kind Found Interesting Novel Essence Performances Down And Obvious Screenplays Skeletons Cinematography Obvious Things

Author:Salman Rushdie

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