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Writing Quotes

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Writing Quotes

“I used to be an editor and I was editing young adult series. I didn't really like the books that I was reading, so I decided that I would write a book about something I'd want to read if I was 16. It turned into a Cinderella story... I developed a proposal and the characters of 'Gossip Girl' for my job.”

Ifs Want Writing Book Character Stories Jobs Young Used Girl Reading Adults Decided Series Young Adult Used To Be Gossip Editors Editing Proposal Gossip Girl Cinderella Story

Author:Cecily von Ziegesar

“Often you must turn your stylus to erase, if you hope to write anything worth a second reading.”

Ifs Writing Turns Reading Editing Erase

Author:Horace

“I tend to write things seven times before I show them to my editor. I write them seven times, then I take them on tour, read them like a dozen times on tour, then go back to the room and rewrite, read and rewrite... I would never show him a first draft, because then he's really going to be sick of it by the twelfth draft.”

Writing Firsts Shows Rooms Sick Seven Editors Dozen Editing

Author:David Sedaris

“The conscious mind is the editor, and the subconscious mind is the writer. And the joy of writing, when you're writing from your subconscious, is beautiful - it's thrilling. When you're editing, which is your conscious mind, it's like torture.”

Writing Mind Beautiful Joy Conscious Torture Editors Editing Subconscious Thrilling Subconscious Mind Conscious Mind

Author:Steve Martin

“The writing itself is no big deal. The editing, and even more than that, the self-doubt, is excruciatingly impossible.”

Writing Self Bigs Deals Doubt Impossible Editing Big Deal Self-doubt

Author:Jonathan Safran Foer

“Of every four words I write, I strike out three.”

Writing Three Four Strikes Editing

Author:Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux

“I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes these entailed the shredding of all existing manuscript for a fresh start - an inefficient way to write a book, though I found it exciting.”

Way Writing Book Sometimes Found Majors Exciting Editing Manuscripts Revision Fresh Start Shredding

Author:William Manchester

“There is no artifice as good and desirable as simplicity.”

Writing Simplicity Editing Desirable Artifice

Book:The Spiritual Maxims of Saint Francis de Sales

Source: The Spiritual Maxims of Saint Francis de Sales

“I like to edit my sentences as I write them. I rearrange a sentence many times before moving on to the next one. For me, that editing process feels like a form of play, like a puzzle that needs solving, and it's one of the most satisfying parts of writing.”

Needs Feels Writing Play Moving Form Next Process Sentences Satisfying Editing Puzzles Edits The Next One One For Me

Author:Karen Thompson Walker

“I find that the majority of the year, I don't spend acting. I spend it either writing or editing or producing, or putting things together. So it's as shocking as it is tragic. I really enjoy it. It's a valuable skill set. I certainly feel like more of a grownup.”

Feels Writing Years Together Enjoy Acting Skills Majority Valuable Tragic Editing Shocking Grownups

Author:Charlie Day

“A lot of people, myself included, are excited about blogging and stuff like that, citizen journalism, but I do remind people that no matter how excited we are, there's no substitute for professional writing, no substitute for professional editing, and no substitute for professional fact-checking.”

People Writing Matter Facts Stuff Citizens Excited Journalism Substitutes Editing Blogging Professional Writing Citizen Journalism

Author:Craig Newmark