2372 Writer Quotes for You to Enjoy

The book that convinced me I wanted to be a writer was 'Crime and Punishment'. I put the thing down after reading it in a fever over two or three days... I said, 'If this is what a book can be, then that is what I want to do.' Paul Auster

I spent years only ever reading horror and then trying to write horror - and deep down, a horror writer is still what I'd love to be. But it wasn't until I started writing crime that things began to work for me. Paul Cleave

The idea of writer's block or not having inspiration is totally terrifying to me. Paul Dano

Me Totally Having Inspiration Writer Idea Terrifying Block

Certainly the highest posthumous praise that can be conferred upon any writer is the assertion that his or her writing permanently altered the literary landscape for the better, opening new textual doors and engaging new readers. That the author's oeuvre was essential and irreplaceable and transformative. Paul Di Filippo

Writing Better Doors Writer Highest New Opening Altered Readers Permanently Praise His Textual Author Conferred Any Essential Irreplaceable Literary Transformative Landscape Engaging Certainly Assertion Her

Has the painter not always gone to an art school, or at least to an established master, for instruction? And the composer, the sculptor, the architect? Then why not the writer? Good poets, like good hybrid corn, are both born and made. Paul Engle

Art Good School Made Master Gone Corn Composer Born Architect Hybrid Both Poets Writer Like Instruction Always Least Art School Established Then Sculptor Painter Why Why Not

I'm a very careful, slow writer, and I think a lot of that comes from the care required to be a hand-printer, where if something isn't spaced out enough, you take little slivers of brass or copper and put them between each letter. Paul Fleischman

I became a reader - never mind a writer - because of Stephen King. Paul G. Tremblay

Mind King Writer Never Stephen King Reader Became Because

Sometimes I'll hear a phrase or a word and write it down in my little black notebook (a writer's best mate), then come back to it and work a plot around it. Paul Kane

Work Best Sometimes Word Black Down Back Plot Phrase Write Writer Come Around Mate Hear Little Notebook Then

I think my best quality as a writer is the ability to craft complicated, nuanced, interesting characters. Paul S. Kemp

Best Quality Complicated Think Characters Ability Writer Craft Interesting Interesting Characters

I can't predict how reading habits will change. But I will say that the greatest loss is the paper archive - no more a great stack of manuscripts, letters, and notebooks from a writer's life, but only a tiny pile of disks, little plastic cookies where once were calligraphic marvels. Paul Theroux

Life Great Change Will Reading Predict Once Paper Say More Only Habits Writer Pile Greatest How Were Loss Stack Tiny Where Little Notebooks Cookies Manuscripts Plastic Letters

When I started writing, I did have some idealised notion of my dad as a writer. But I have less and less of a literary rivalry with him as I've gone on. I certainly don't feel I need his approval, although maybe that's because I'm confident that I've got it. Paul Theroux

The pleasure a reader gets is often equal to the pleasure a writer is given. Paul Theroux

Pleasure Given Writer Equal Reader Gets Often

I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew that I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't want people to ask me questions about it. Paul Theroux

Family Me Travel People First About Writer Knew Questions Get Want Wanted Ask Reason Large Large Family Away Raised

I think people read travel books either because they intend to take that trip, or because they would never take that trip. In a sense, as a writer you are doing the travel for the reader. Paul Theroux

You Travel People Sense Think Books Would Trip Writer Take Never Never Take Read Reader Because Doing Intend Either

I don't know what makes a writer's voice. It's dozens of things. There are people who write who don't have it. They're tone-deaf, even though they're very fluent. It's an ability, like anything else, being a doctor or a veterinarian, or a musician. Paula Fox

The journalism, I was a financial journalist - it's very good training as a writer. You have to write for deadlines; you have a certain economy of phrasing. As a training ground as a writer, it's fantastic. I also think it teaches you to be observant, to listen to people, and gives you an ear of dialogue from doing interviews. Paula Hawkins

Good You People Training Financial Journalist Think Interviews Gives Write Writer Observant Journalism Economy Also Deadlines Dialogue Doing Very Training Ground Listen Fantastic Certain Teaches Ground Ear

I started out as a writer. Poetry and prose and also kind of satirical David Sedaris-esque stuff. Pauley Perrette

Out Kind Poetry David Writer Prose Stuff Also Satirical Started

I am not a self-help writer. I am a self-problem writer. When people read my books, I provoke some things. I cannot justify my work. I do my work; it is up to them to classify it, to judge. Paulo Coelho

Work People Judge Books Some Some Things Classify Writer Read Self-Help Am Up Provoke Cannot Justify Them Things

A good script is like a work of art in itself. I've read hundreds of scripts, and good ones are very rare. If the writer has something to say, and a voice, and a plot that matches character, and an emotional trajectory that works, then I'd be an idiot to fool around with it. It's just that few scripts ever are like that. Pawel Pawlikowski

Work Art Good Character Fool Rare Idiot Few Hundreds Say Plot Good Ones Something Good Script Voice Emotional Writer Like Read Around Matches Itself Very Trajectory Just Script Scripts Then Works Ever

Many times, what people call 'writer's block' is the confusion that happens when a writer has a great idea, but their writing skill is not up to the task of putting that idea down on paper. I think that learning the craft of writing is critical. Pearl Cleage

Writer Quotes

No more writer quotes