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Writing Advice Quotes

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Writing Advice Quotes

“The creative process is a brave one. The word courage comes from the Latin and French words for heart, so keep coming back to loving kindness toward yourself as you write. Keep showing up with compassion for yourself, and you’ll get to where you’re wanting to go.”

“Actually "nerve" is one of the qualities it takes to tackle a first novel, the others being inflated ego and a gambler's sense of crazed bravado, all of which I felt imbued with, more or less, when I sat down to write my account of one woman's efforts to keep her ex-husband, a deranged fence jumper, out of her apartment and life.”

“Create a world in front of your readers where they can taste, smell, touch, hear, see, and move. Or else they are likely going to move on to another book.”

“Dreams are good at playing with your memory. They love leaving no trace behind and hate to show up once again in the morning.”

“Writers are magicians. They write down words, and, if they're good, you believe that what they write is real, just as you believe a good magician has pulled the coins out of your ear, or made his assistant disappear.”

“No writing is wasted. Did you know that sourdough from San Francisco is leavened partly by a bacteria called lactobacillus sanfrancisensis? It is native to the soil there, and does not do well elsewhere. But any kitchen can become an ecosystem. If you bake a lot, your kitchen will become a happy home to wild yeasts, and all your bread will taste better. Even a failed loaf is not wasted. Likewise, cheese makers wash the dairy floor with whey. Tomato gardeners compost with rotten tomatoes. No writing is wasted: the words you can't put in your book can wash the floor, live in the soil, lurk around in the air. They will make the next words better.”

“Francie always remembered what that kind teacher told her. “You know, Francie, a lot of people would think that these stories that you’re making up all the time were terrible lies because they are not the truth as people see the truth. In the future, when something comes up, you tell exactly how it happened but write down for yourself the way you think it should have happened. Tell the truth and write the story. Then you won’t get mixed up.”

“So be wise. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise and then just behave like they would. Now go, and make interesting mistakes. Make Interesting. Mistakes. Make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.”

“A writer gets to live yet another life every time he or she creates a new story.”

“Writing a story is like going on a date—you will spoil it if you aren't living in the moment.”

“If certain aspect needs to be inconsistent, it must better be consistently inconsistent throughout the story.”

“Be a good reader first if you wish to become a good writer.”

“Tell a story in fewer and simpler words.”

“Turn those deep feelings and obsessions of your heart into captivating pieces of literature.”

“Don’t interrupt when your characters take a flight of their own.”

“Don’t break the rules when you haven’t fully figured them out yet.”

“If you think there is no time to write now, there will never be.”

“Good writing ideas don’t have to be about political turmoil, mass killings, capitalism, racism, injustice, and so on. Find that one idea that has deep roots in your heart.”

“A writer can do without food for a few hours but not without the sight of books.”

“Ideas either age like fine wine or rot like potatoes over time.”

“If you are a singer, you must sing. If you are a dancer, you must dance. If you are a writer, you must write. Don’t suffocate your heart.”

“As you become a better writer, the writing becomes more difficult. You toil harder to tell a story in a smaller number of words.”

“Clichés are the viruses that infect your writing with diseases.”

“Celebrate your day of birthday as special day.Make a specific birthday wishes and write it down.You will be amazed about the power of pen and inner strength to accomplish the wishes. This will be a special gift for yourself on each birthday.”

“The gift of writing; natural flow of thoughts from the deepest heart.”

“A writer reports on the universe. When he presents his credentials, the gates of heaven and hell are equally opened to him. He can hear the devil’s defense and god’s accusations. The guards at the king’s heart let him in. The writer can be anything and any one he wants. When he writes he is a god, he creates.”

“Many people have asked me how they can start writing. My reply is simple: just start. To paraphrase Michelangelo Buonarroti: The poem was always there, it is a matter of removing the words which are not needed, and rearranging those that remain. My work is a personal journey from where I was, to where I am going, with pauses to rest for where I am currently standing.”

“Our stories hold unique inspiration for one another.”