Best Writer's Block Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

Author:James Rollins

“My prescription for writer's block is to face the fact that there is no such thing.... Writing well is difficult, but one can always write something. And then, with a lot of work, make it better. It's a question of having enough will and ambition, not of hoping to evade this mysterious hysteria people are always talking about.”

People Writing Wells Enough Facts Faces Difficult Talking Ambition Block Mysterious Prescriptions Hysteria Writer's Block Writing Well

Author:Thomas Mallon

“With iPhones, nobody has an excuse for writer's block. If you're at Whole Foods getting your green tea extract and you have a melody, you just drop it into your voice memo and save it for later.”

Ifs Whole Voice Green Excuse Block Tea Melody Iphone Writer's Block Memos Green Tea Whole Foods

Author:Ryan Tedder

“I've experienced writer's block, but never for more than a few days.”

Block Writer's Block

Author:Walter Jon Williams

“Sometimes writer's block is no more than a signal that you have not done enough research.”

Writing Sometimes Done Enough Research Block Signals Writer's Block

Book:For Writers Only: Inspiring Thoughts on the Exquisite Pain and Heady Joy of the Writing Life from Its Great Practitioners

Source: For Writers Only: Inspiring Thoughts on the Exquisite Pain and Heady Joy of the Writing Life from Its Great Practitioners

“Writer's block.. when one curses the blinking cursor on the blank page.”

Pages Block Curse Blank Writer's Block Blank Pages

Author:Regina Brett

“Writing is 90% procrastination. It is a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write.”

Writing Matter Morning Four Procrastination Writer's Block Infomercials

Author:Paul Rudnick

“I've never really suffered complete and utter writer's block, really. I equate it with sex: in the beginning of my career, I was writing five songs a week; now, I occasionally write a song. But it's an exciting moment when it happens!”

Writing Moments Happens Song Sex Careers Five Week Exciting Block Writer's Block

Author:Loudon Wainwright III

“I wrote my first book when I was 22 years old. I have a way with words and I love to write. I can write without getting writers block so I knew, it was a gift.”

Way Writing Years Firsts I Can Book Block Writer's Block

Author:Tony Gaskins

“The writing ethic was influenced - when you have to write every day, there's no such thing as writer's block.”

Writing Ethics Block Writer's Block

Author:Michael Connelly

“Writing on a computer feels like a recipe for writer's block. I can type so fast that I run out of thoughts, and then I sit there and look at the words on the screen, and move them around, and never get anywhere. Whereas in a notebook I just keep plodding along, slowly, accumulating sentences, sometimes even surprising myself.”

Feels Writing Looks I Can Sometimes Running Moving Type Computer Sentences Screens Block Surprising Recipes Notebook Writer's Block

Author:Chad Harbach

“Don't be discouraged by writer's block. Writer's block just means you need to listen to other music.”

Needs Mean Block Discouraged Writer's Block

Author:Ben Harper

“I often tell people to stop being afraid of writing bad poetry, or bad anything. I think that a lot of times, when people claim that they have writer's block, or that they get stuck, it's just because they're scared of writing bad things.”

People Thinking Writing Claims Scared Stuck Block Bad Things Being Afraid Writer's Block

Author:Sarah Kay

“I only get writer's block about once a day.”

Block Writer's Block

Author:Sue Grafton

“If I've got Writer's Block it generally means that I don't have that much to say or something's not quite connecting. I have had Writer's Block a bunch of times and it's generally because I'm not able to write down what I'm feeling basically. Mostly, I just need to be alone really, or be with someone who can bring that out of me.”

Ifs Needs Writing Mean Feelings Able Bunch Block Connecting Writer's Block

Author:Ellie Goulding

“I work on multiple projects at a time because it keeps me from getting writer's block.”

Projects Block Multiple Writer's Block

Author:Diana Gabaldon

“I haven't had writer's block. I think it's because my process involves writing very badly.”

Thinking Writing Process Havens Block Writer's Block Flailing Good Moments

Author:Jennifer Egan

“Suggestions? Put it aside for a few days, or longer, do other things, try not to think about it. Then sit down and read it (printouts are best I find, but that's just me) as if you've never seen it before. Start at the beginning. Scribble on the manuscript as you go if you see anything you want to change. And often, when you get to the end you'll be both enthusiastic about it and know what the next few words are. And you do it all one word at a time.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Want Writing Trying Ends Next Down And Suggestions Enthusiastic One Word Manuscripts Few Words Writer's Block Scribbles

Author:Neil Gaiman

“Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas. Fill the lacunae of inspiration by tidily copying out what is already written.”

Writing Ideas Inspiration Running Written Copying Writer's Block

Book:Reflections: essays, aphorisms, autobiographical writing

Source: Reflections: essays, aphorisms, autobiographical writing

“When the bad stuff was really intense in my life, it was really what you would call writer's block. Your facility is just not as good because you feel so bad. I've heard of people right on the verge of suicide coming up with some of their best work. I wish I could think of an example, other than Van Gogh, perhaps!”

People Thinking Feels Wish Stuff Heard Example Suicide Intense Block Vans Facility Best Work Verge Writer's Block Bad Stuff

Author:John Fogerty

“If I waited for perfection... I would never write a word.”

Ifs Writing Perfect Perfection Writers And Writing Writer's Block Writing By Writers

Author:Margaret Atwood

“I actually prefer to work in as many different genres as possible as often as possible because I actually think the best way to be inspired and avoid any writers block or things like that is actually to be able to go from a comedy to an action to a horror to a adventure, that actually makes it easy for me to start over and get new ideas, and it keeps things interesting.”

Thinking Way Ideas Different Able Action Easy Interesting Comedy Adventure Horror Inspired Best Way Block Genre New Ideas Starting Over Writer's Block Be Inspired Different Genres

Author:Christopher Lennertz

“On indies it's hard to do, but in rehearsals, you make mistakes in rehearsal. It's really hard rehearsing a play or what rehearsal you get on any movie. That's where you get to make your mistakes, and you make big ones. So when you shoot [the movie] or you finally get the play in shape and do it, the mistakes are out of the way. If you're not afraid to make mistakes, then there is no writer's block or actor's block.”

Ifs Way Hard Play Bigs Actors Mistake Shapes Block Making Mistakes Not Afraid Rehearsal Writer's Block Rehearsing

Author:Jeff Daniels

“Some people talk of writer's block - you got all of these ideas but nothing happens. The truth is, there's no such thing as writer's block. It's to the degree that you want to write. The thing is that these things show up whenever they feel like it.”

People Want Feels Writing Ideas Shows Happens Truth Is Degrees Things Happen Block Writer's Block

Author:Jon Fratelli

“Writer's block to me is where you stop because you're afraid to go forward because you're not sure of what really should be happening next and you think, my gosh, if I choose this... you've got a hundred millions of avenues you could possibly go down but it's all an assess of characters.”

Ifs Thinking Should Character Next Millions Happenings Hundred Block Not Sure Avenues Writer's Block

Author:Homer Hickam

“The downs are the times when you lose sight of who you are and that happens along the way sometimes...Writer's block when you doubt yourself and you get insecure.”

Way Sometimes Happens Loses Doubt Sight Who You Are Block Insecure Writer's Block

Author:Lights

“I think every writer struggles in some way with writers block. The trick is to plan out what you are going to say beforehand. I found out that if you make an outline you're much less likely to get blocked when you get into the middle of the story.”

Ifs Thinking Way Stories Found Struggle Plans Middle Tricks Block Outlines Blocked Writer's Block

Author:Rick Riordan

“I don't believe in "writer's block". I try and deal with getting stuck by having more than one thing to work on at a time. And by knowing that even a hundred bad words that didn't exist before is forward progress.”

Trying Believe Deals Knowing Progress One Thing Hundred Don't Believe Stuck Block Writer's Block Bad Word Forward Progress

Author:Neil Gaiman

“I don't believe in writer's block. Most of writer's block is having too much time on your hands. My mantra is that you can always edit a bad page; you can't edit a blank page.”

Believe Hands Too Much Pages Don't Believe Block Blank Edits Mantras Writer's Block Blank Pages

Author:Jodi Picoult

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

Writing Written Humility Masters Crafts Writing Life Great Writers Writers And Writing Written Word Writer's Block Apprentice Writing By Writers Great Writing Apprenticeship Inspiration To Write Inspiring Writing Grace Under Pressure

Author:Ernest Hemingway

“I don't really believe in writer's block or anything like that. If I'm not feeling words, I may pick up an instrument and play with sounds or delve into different types of creativity and expression.”

Ifs Believe May Different Play Feelings Sound Creativity Expression Type Picks Instruments Block Writer's Block

Author:Saul Williams

“Being blocked, being uncertain, sitting there not knowing, waiting, abiding with it: this is the work. If you don't have the tolerance for that you're in great trouble. If you want to call it a writer's block... that doesn't seem a very useful name for that kind of abiding that I think is the essence of the work.”

Ifs Thinking Want Kind Seems Names Waiting Knowing Trouble Sitting Essence Tolerance Block Not Knowing Uncertain Abiding Blocked Writer's Block

Author:Jonathan Lethem

“I don't believe in writer's block, writing well is very easy; it's writing horribly, the horrible work necessary to do to get to writing well, that is so difficult one may just not be willing to do it.”

Writing Believe Wells May Easy Difficult Willing Don't Believe Horrible Block Writer's Block Writing Well

Author:Dean Young

“My block was due to two overlapping factors: laziness and lack of discipline.”

Two Discipline Dues Block Factors Laziness Writer's Block Overlapping

Author:Mary Garden

“There is no writer's block in a newsroom. There's only unemployment block.”

Block Unemployment Writer's Block

Author:Carl Hiaasen

“My biggest excuse to others and myself was that I had writer's block, as if it was some kind of illness.”

Ifs Kind Illness Excuse Block Writer's Block

Author:Mary Garden

“In 25 years of writing novels, I've never had anything that felt like writer's block.”

Writing Years Felt Novel Block Writer's Block

Author:Richard Powers

“For a long period in my life - it lasted about 10 years - I had writer's block.”

Years Long Periods Block Writer's Block

Author:Mary Garden

“I think the only way you can get something out is to invest some real emotion into it, which means you're already writing about what's going to happen to you, whether you know it or not. That's why I'm always surprised when people talk about writer's block. Because to me, it can't be stopped.”

People Thinking Knows Way Writing Mean Real Happens Emotion Block Writer's Block Real Emotion

Author:Grant Morrison

“Writers block: when I get it, it's because my subconscious spotted that I'd make a huge structural mistake in constructing a novel before my conscious mind became aware of it, and threw on the brakes. So I've learned not to sweat it: take two days off, then back up a chapter, read through, and try to work out why I'm suddenly uneasy about continuing.”

Trying Mind Two Mistake Novel Huge Conscious Work Out Block I've Learned Sweat Chapters Continuing Subconscious Two Days Uneasy Writer's Block Days Off Brake Conscious Mind

Author:Charles Stross

“Writer's block? Don't worry about it. Either it goes away or you die.”

Dies Worry Block Writer's Block

Author:Joe Haldeman

“I don't believe in writer's block. I don't know what that is. There are just certain little areas that I know I'm going to get through. It's just a matter of finding a way.”

Knows Way Believe Littles Matter Certain Findings Areas Don't Believe Block Writer's Block

Author:Elmore Leonard

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day ... you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don't think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Way Writing Happens Next Brain Worry Tired Stuck Best Way Subconscious Next Day Writer's Block

Author:Ernest Hemingway

“I just write all the time. In my whole life I've never had what I've heard people talk about writer's block. I've never had that. Life is like a song to me. I just hear everything in music, so I have never once thought "Well, I'm never gonna be able to write again." I've got thousands of songs.”

People Writing Wells Whole Able Life Is Song Heard Whole Life Block Life Is Like Writer's Block

Author:Dolly Parton

“I write because it's all I know how to do. Writing is my anchor and my purpose. My life is informed by writing, whether the work is going well or I'm stuck in the hell of writer's block, which I'm happy to report only occurs about once a day.”

Knows Writing Wells Life Is Purpose Know How Hell Stuck Block Reports Anchors Writer's Block

Author:Sue Grafton

“One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily.”

Firsts Difficult Months Difficult Things Paragraph Writer's Block

Author:Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“Writer's block is a luxury most people with deadlines don't have.”

People Block Luxury Deadline Writer's Block

Author:Diane Ackerman

“Writer's block is a myth. I never see the gardeners suffering from gardening block.”

Suffering Myth Block Gardening Gardener Writer's Block

Author:Emo Philips

“This was something that was obsessing me and creating a writer's block. To get involved and get stuck in, get the proper information about what's going on has really helped.”

Information Involved Creating Stuck Block Get Involved Writer's Block Obsessing

Author:Thom Yorke

Writer's Block Quotes

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Writer's Block Quotes