Along with consistent practice, expert advice from seasoned writers can help us hone our craft. A few pithy words may spark us to push to the next level. A cornucopia of wisdom:
“Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped.” Lillian Hellman
“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” Ernest Hemingway
“Writing is just work–there’s no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes– it’s still just work.” Sinclair Lewis
“When I finish a first draft, it’s always just as much of a mess as it’s always been. I still make the same mistakes every time.” Michael Chabon
“Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write.”
Robert Penn Warren
“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. . . .Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. . . .” E. L. Doctorow
“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English–it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them — then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.” Mark Twain
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” James Michener
“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” Samuel Johnson
“Don’t get it right, just get it written.” James Thurber
“You fail only if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury
