As every writer knows.. there is something mysterious about the writer's ability, on any given day, to write. When the juices are flowing, or the writer is 'hot', an invisible wall seems to fall away, and the writer moves easily and surely from one kind of reality to another.. Every writer has experienced at least moments of this strange, magical state. Reading student fiction one can spot at once where the power turns on and where it turns off, where the writer writes from 'inspiration' or deep, flowing vision, and where he had to struggle along on mere intellect. John Gardner
About This Quote

In every great work of literature, there is a moment when the writer turns on the inspiration and flows freely, easily. This can happen in many ways, but one thing is sure: it happens at a certain time during the writing process that the writer knows he has something special. There is a certain point in a writers process where this flow occurs, and a writer who does not have this knowledge will never know when it happens. This power to write from inspiration is not for everyone, but it's something all great writers have in common -- even if they don't know it until it's too late.

Source: On Becoming A Novelist

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  1. It would be, for me, mere pointless pleasure, an illusion of order for this one frail, foolish, flicker-flash in the long dull fall of eternity.
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  3. People will tell you that writing is too difficult, that it's impossible to get your work published, that you might as well hang yourself. Meanwhile, they'll keep writing and you'll have hanged yourself.
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