81 Quotes About Writers And Writing

It is said that a good writer does not need to be the best at writing, but rather the best at writing well. Writers take many forms and can be found everywhere — from corporations to casual acquaintances. The ability to express oneself clearly and effectively is what makes a good writer, and we’ve put together a collection of inspiring and insightful quotes about writing.

1
The internet is killing the art of writing. The big "publish" button begs you to publish even before you go back and make one single edit, and as if this was not enough, you have instant readers who praise your writing skills! - Bangambiki Habyarimana
2
... The Book is more important than your plans for it. You have to go with what works for The Book ~ if your ideas appear hollow or forced when they are put on paper, chop them, erase them, pulverise them and start again. Don't whine when things are not going your way, because they are going the right way for The Book, which is more important. The show must go on, and so must The Book. E.a. Bucchianeri
3
I prefer to be on the side of losers, the misunderstood or lonely people rather than writing about the strong and powerful. Unknown
My fingers burn behind the keys of my typewriter, the...
4
My fingers burn behind the keys of my typewriter, the lettering fading with every thoughtful strike. The many words I write I dare not stall; my mind perpetually alert for my magnum opus call. A.K. Kuykendall
5
Talented writers etched the story detailing the travails of broken souls numerous times. The poets recounted an equal amount of times the lucent tears of human laughter and weeping sorrow. Everyone understands bitterness and joy. Conversely, the most evocative aspects of human beings, the bewildering clarification of their ambiguous natures, are virtually indefinable and therefore unutterable. Written testaments to love, truth, beauty, and adoration of nature are inherently weak because words fail to convey what a person experiences inside the spaces that compose their chemical field. Kilroy J. Oldster
6
I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because when I write, I am not trying to prove anything to anyone, I am just expressing myself and my opinions. It’s ok if my opinions are different from those of the reader, each of us can have his own opinions. So writing is like talking, if you are afraid of writing, you may end up being afraid of talking. Bangambiki Habyarimana
7
I am not a supporter of burning books; but like poison, some books should be kept away from simple minds who can't take in the strong content they provide Bangambiki Habyarimana
8
One author said "I write because I want to live a footprint in the sands of history.” It's hard to live a footprint in the sands of history when giants are passing through the same sands unless you are one of the giants Bangambiki Habyarimana
9
Each of us wages a private battle to thrive. Whenever a person fully immerses oneself in life’s aromatic flower garden of pleasures and encounters life’s warship of armor-plated rigors, they blend and bend to make reasonable accommodations for surviving. Scripted and unscripted encounters with superior militant forces bruise us mightily and eventually cut us to the core. Every person’s life contains a minefield of obstacles that function as potential barriers to achieving our ultimate manifestation. The expended labor of continuously hefting oneself over one contentious hurdle after another is what leads a conscientious person onto the path of needing to write in order to create emotional poultices to ameliorate painful wounds. Kilroy J. Oldster
10
In order to protect their good names for posterity, many writers never wrote what they thought or the truth as it stood. That's why truth still lies hidden in matters of power, sex and religion. No wonder they chose to do so, many who dared paid with their heads Bangambiki Habyarimana
11
Great characters- They are pivotal for a great plot. THEN a solid plot: Why then? If you do not have great characters it is impossible to create a good plot, nonetheless a solid one. Once you have built great characters for the scenes, there you have it. It’s just like the movies, you cannot have a great film if the characters are frail and their lines are weak as well. I guess great world-building comes along with a good plot. If there is something that will work fine in a novel is how you will develop from the theme. You’ve got to establish a good timeline, and from there it comes a world. You see the technical matters don’t match or matter as much to me. Even a poorly written story, if there is a good plot and great characters on it will make a divine combination There are simply many cases of it over the mainstream and that even reached the big screen. Ana Claudia Antunes
12
If you are writing fiction, think like a god. Release all the power of your imagination; create worlds and destroy them at your will, create as many miracles as your story needs Bangambiki Habyarimana
13
I called it a baptism in flaming ink that forced me to shed my shyness about recognizing myself as a poet and to accept the fact that life had never given me any choice in the matter. And then I had to discover exactly what that meant. Aberjhani
14
The world would have been a better place if some men had just shut their mouths. Bangambiki Habyarimana
15
I am what I have ever read Bangambiki Habyarimana
16
We write, not because we claim to know more than others, but perhaps because we want to know more than others. Writers are explorers Bangambiki Habyarimana
17
Words disappear in the air, but writing remains. If you want something to be remembered about you, write it down Bangambiki Habyarimana
18
A writer is never alone, he is always with himself Bangambiki Habyarimana
19
You say you have nothing to write about? How do you find things to talk about? You can write about those things you like to talk about, that's your area of expertise Bangambiki Habyarimana
20
. If you want to write, just write anything that comes into your mind. You will be surprised at how you can force inspiration to stand on your side. Bangambiki Habyarimana
21
You can edit what you write. Why not edit what you say? If it hurts somebody, you can still offer an apology or withdraw your statements Bangambiki Habyarimana
22
Able writers let us into their minds and show us how they think and by that open our minds to ourselves Bangambiki Habyarimana
23
Sometimes I have a good idea, something I wish I could remember, and instead of writing it down, commit it to my memory only to disappear when I needed it. Write your ideas as they come, if you wait it will be too long and you may not recover it. It may get destroyed as it is to seed to and fro in the ever rushing river of our thoughts Bangambiki Habyarimana
24
If you are afraid of the critics you will never write a word Bangambiki Habyarimana
25
You never know what you will write until you write it Bangambiki Habyarimana
26
Write it as you see in your own perspective, you may be right or wrong but then what, that's how you see it Bangambiki Habyarimana
27
How do you feel when you read stuff written by dead authors? A visit by a ghost? Bangambiki Habyarimana
28
You cannot write if you are not angry Bangambiki Habyarimana
29
You cannot write if you are not on fire Bangambiki Habyarimana
30
Writing is sharing. You share what you have. Great writers have more to share Bangambiki Habyarimana
31
People speak even after their death. Only do speak those who have recorded their speech in writing before they die, the rest go silent forever Bangambiki Habyarimana
32
The power of a writer is that he is a god of sorts. He can create his own worlds and populate them with his own people, all by the powers of his imagination. It's the closest a man can come close to the gods. No wonder the most successful writers are considered immortals Bangambiki Habyarimana
33
Self-censorship is more efficient than any police. You write and say not what you really think, but what you believe is acceptable. By that process we lose those revolutionary ideas that could change society for the better Bangambiki Habyarimana
34
Many writers write because they’ve been there, seen that, did it and burnt their fingers Bangambiki Habyarimana
35
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. Bangambiki Habyarimana
36
If I can write, who possibly can’t. Even drawing a line in the sand is writing Bangambiki Habyarimana
37
The power of the writer is to capture the thoughts live and present them as they appeared in his mind Bangambiki Habyarimana
38
Writing is self-pleasure Bangambiki Habyarimana
39
Writing is all about self-expression, we want to speak up, to get it off our chest. Whether we make an impact or not that is not for us to decide Bangambiki Habyarimana
40
If I had time, money and knowledge I could write about everything; but no problem, Google is already doing it Bangambiki Habyarimana
41
Writing is magic happening on paper Bangambiki Habyarimana
42
Every book is worth reading. If it cannot make you wiser it will make you a critic Bangambiki Habyarimana
43
Today almost everybody is a writer, the enormous publish button on blogs and websites begs you everywhere to click on it! And bam you are a writer. To hell with agents and publishing houses and rejection letters. Immortality for you is on the click of a mouth! We are advancing at the speed of light! You can become an author at 140 characters. To hell with long winding sentences and long hours of scratching the head, the immortals of today instantly get a "like" and they instantly enter the pantheon! They seat side by side Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, St Paul, Buddha, Martin Luther, Rousseau, Bangambiki…. Bangambiki Habyarimana
44
When I write sometimes I strike gold, sometimes I labor in vain and keep producing rubbish Bangambiki Habyarimana
45
Don't believe in everything that is written. Not everything that is written is true Bangambiki Habyarimana
46
When the lyrical muse sings the creative pen dances. Aberjhani
47
Words are the residue that I was there, that I loved my wife, that I kissed my children goodnight, that I sacrificed my life for them. Words are a curse. Life is a curse. Words escape life. Life escapes words. What in God's name am I? How does someone name a God? What is it to name yourself? Sergio Troncoso
48
I place my fingers upon these keys typing 2, 000 dreams per minute and naked of spirit dance forth my cosmic vortex upon this crucifix called language. Aberjhani
49
Whenever I encounter writer’s block, I stop writing … with my hands; and I then start writing with my legs. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
50
It’s easy to write a sentence, paragraph, or book. What’s difficult is writing the best sentence, paragraph, or book, you can write. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
51
The word 'NO' is the best motivation there is for the storyteller in you. A.K. Kuykendall
52
Book:Sharing of life and experiences with other people. This is lifetime notes for all generations. Lailah Gifty Akita
53
We are inspired by divine power to write. Lailah Gifty Akita
54
The act of writing is a contemplative vision quest, a somber expedition of discovery that requires the writer to subordinate their ego in order to travel in soulful solitude towards a desirable personal haven of rejuvenating enlightenment. Writing for personal growth entails unconditionally surrendering oneself to the struggle of tearing their sense of self apart. It demands the solemn willpower to dissect and analyze the fissures of a self-absorbent soul one layer at a time. Kilroy J. Oldster
55
Writing is a solitary venture. Making use of a soundless void in the vortex of time the author enters the realm of restoration, an undertaking where he or she explores that private psychic space of the self. In this mystical state of heightened awareness, the writer investigates the soul’s grievances, and diagnoses and treats their grim afflictions. Kilroy J. Oldster
56
Inspiration for what we produce comes from reading, observing the world of humans around us and also the animal kingdom Walt Disney Company
57
Being the Novelist-in-Residence at a riad hotel in the kasbah of an Arabic North African city is a lot like trying to write one’s memoirs on shreds of napkins in a nuthouse. Roman Payne
58
The secret to good writing is to use small words for big ideas, not to use big words for small ideas. Oliver Markus
59
Passionate attraction to someone of the opposite sex will make a hero or a fool of a novelist each time. Roman Payne
60
Your first written sentence is the foundation of all of your dreams. Rob Bignell
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I have written until I fell asleep with my computer on my lap. That can't be normal. Christy Hall
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Being a writer brings out a sassy woman inside me, and I love her so. Anna Bayes
63
I am sorry, I am not a writer. I simply put my thoughts on paper. Those helped by them call them a book and me a writer. Those who are not helped call it rubbish and me a fool. Both have reason. Bangambiki Habyarimana
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One day I will write a book. An epitaph Bangambiki Habyarimana
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Every book has its ancestors Bangambiki Habyarimana
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Writing is exposing yourself to strangers Bangambiki Habyarimana
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Writing is a competition between the writer and the page. When the page wins, you fail as a writer. Bangambiki Habyarimana
68
When you find yourself writing, reading, or listening the delivery of words when spoken? You know the melody of wordplay. “& I love Wordplay Elijah Cainaan
69
As I am a work in progress, you shall see me more or less? Don't shake me out if I digress. As of me less, from me more of my work, I guess. Ana Claudia Antunes
70
Identifying as a writer is a matter of self-acceptance. It's not a thing that can be given to you, or bestowed upon you. You are a writer if you write. That's it. If what you are seeking is to be acknowledged as a writer by other people, many of them strangers, you're in for a demoralizing journey. It is a silly club where those who have been 'accepted' are loathe to permit others into. It's sort of like how we Americans love denying our own immigrant origins while railing against immigration. . Vincent Louis Carrella
71
Writing is a bitch. It's an itch that I love to scratch. Ana Claudia Antunes
72
They fuck you up, your mum and dad? No, that wasn't it at all. Well, they did do that, perhaps, but they also allowed you to become the person, and the writer, that you had it in you to be. Salman Rushdie
73
Writing heals my heart like no pill ever could. Rob Bignell
74
To be a decent writer you must have both empathy and imagination. While these attributes aid your art, they can plague your soul. You don’t simply suffer your own sadness, experience your own longing and worry about your own wife and children, you are burdened with experiencing the emotional states of multitudes of others you don’t know. M.J. Rose
75
Coffee, my delight of the morning; yoga, my delight of the noon. Then before nightfall, I run along the pleasant paths of the Jardin du Luxembourg. For when air cycles through the lungs, and the body is busy at noble tasks, creativity flows like water in a stream: the artist creates, the writer writes. Roman Payne
76
Forgive my asking you to use your mind. It is a thing which no novelist should expect of his reader... Owen Wister
77
It’s one of those times when the question is its own answer…. The writing is itself the solution to the inability to write! Yael Shahar
78
To unlock the writer's block is to keep writing until you can unknot the "not". If you cannot, then put a can in the plot and unwrap it a lot! Ana Claudia Antunes
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Writing is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to people who have none. Jules Renard 1890
80
The American identity has never been a singular one and the voices of poets invariably sing, in addition to their own, the voices of those around them. Aberjhani