100 Quotes About Writing From The Heart

I ran across an excerpt today (in English translation) of some dialogue/narration from the modern popular writer, Paulo Coelho in his book: Aleph.(Note: bracketed text is mine.).. 'I spoke to three scholars, ' [the character says 'at last.']. .two of them said that, after death, the [sic (misprint, fault of the publisher)] just go to Paradise. The third one, though, told me to consult some verses from the Koran. [end quote]'. .I can see that he's excited. [narrator]'. .Now I have many positive things to say about Coelho: He is respectable, inspiring as a man, a truth-seeker, and an appealing writer; but one should hesitate to call him a 'literary' writer based on this quote. A 'literary' author knows that a character's excitement should be 'shown' in his or her dialogue and not in the narrator's commentary on it. Advice for Coelho: Remove the 'I can see that he's excited' sentence and show his excitement in the phrasing of his quote.( Now, in defense of Coelho, I am firmly of the opinion, having myself written plenty of prose that is flawed, that a novelist should be forgiven for slipping here and there.) Lastly, it appears that a belief in reincarnation is of great interest to Mr. Coelho. . Just think! He is a man who has achieved, (as Leonard Cohen would call it), 'a remote human possibility.' He has won lots of fame and tons of money. And yet, how his preoccupation with reincarnation–none other than an interest in being born again as somebody else–suggests that he is not happy!. Roman Payne

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

Stories are the collective wisdom of everyone who has ever lived. Your job as a storyteller is not simply to entertain. Nor is it to be noticed for the way you turn a phrase. You have a very important job--one of the most important. Your job is to let people know that everyone shares their feelings--and that these feelings bind us. Your job is a healing art, and like all healers, you have a responsibility. Let people know they are not alone. You must make people understand that we are all the same. Brian McDonald

For that is what you are, that is who you are — you are an author. You cannot cease to write any more than you can cease to breathe.. This difficult season will pass — your eyes and mind will inevitably be opened once more to the wealth of ideas all around you.. And even if the ideas around you fall short of what you seek — even if, as you say, you have not the heart to write… perhaps it is your heart you ought to write of. - Laurie to Jo, on writing . Trix Wilkins

The good writing ideas don’t have to be about political turmoil, mass killings, capitalism, racism, injustice, etc. Find that one idea that has deep roots in your heart. Pawan Mishra

Turn those deep feelings and obsessions of your heart into captivating pieces of literature. Pawan Mishra

Ideas either age like fine wine or rot like potatoes over time. Pawan Mishra

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

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

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

A writer tears open their soul for you We lay bare our fears and woes for you We pour our heart onto the page for you We unleash our demons for you Letters like blood smear the page for you The world's pain we absorb for you A delicate path of sanity walked for you Only for you to -Crumple the page in disdain You will not abdicate your reign In the oblivion of life, you’ll remain As I continue to write for you . Theresa Jacobs

I'd written Smashed not because I was ambitious and not because writing down my feelings was cathartic (it felt more like playing one's own neurosurgeon sans anesthesia). No. I'd made a habit--and eventually a profession--of memoir because I hail from one of those families where shows of emotions are discouraged. Koren Zailckas

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

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

Women's liberation by women who are already liberated through channels that would mess them up further Nikhil Sharda

Life's a book filled on pages Just awaiting to be written. Some don't open it for ages, Maybe afraid of being bitten. Ana Claudia Antunes

The world would have been a better place if some men had just shut their mouths. Bangambiki Habyarimana

I am what I have ever read Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

Words disappear in the air, but writing remains. If you want something to be remembered about you, write it down Bangambiki Habyarimana

A writer is never alone, he is always with himself Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

. 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

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

Able writers let us into their minds and show us how they think and by that open our minds to ourselves Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

If you are afraid of the critics you will never write a word Bangambiki Habyarimana

You never know what you will write until you write it Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

How do you feel when you read stuff written by dead authors? A visit by a ghost? Bangambiki Habyarimana

You cannot write if you are not angry Bangambiki Habyarimana

You cannot write if you are not on fire Bangambiki Habyarimana

Writing is sharing. You share what you have. Great writers have more to share Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

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

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

Many writers write because they’ve been there, seen that, did it and burnt their fingers Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

If I can write, who possibly can’t. Even drawing a line in the sand is writing Bangambiki Habyarimana

The power of the writer is to capture the thoughts live and present them as they appeared in his mind Bangambiki Habyarimana

Writing is self-pleasure Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

If I had time, money and knowledge I could write about everything; but no problem, Google is already doing it Bangambiki Habyarimana

Writing is magic happening on paper Bangambiki Habyarimana

Every book is worth reading. If it cannot make you wiser it will make you a critic Bangambiki Habyarimana

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

When I write sometimes I strike gold, sometimes I labor in vain and keep producing rubbish Bangambiki Habyarimana

Don't believe in everything that is written. Not everything that is written is true Bangambiki Habyarimana

We can create transcending stories for readers and for us. Creativity is a double edge sword, which can kill the writer. Rossana Condoleo

Life is a book. There are many pages to be written. Lailah Gifty Akita

The grace of writing is upon me. I love writing. I write daily. Lailah Gifty Akita

We are inspired by divine power to write. Lailah Gifty Akita

You have enough to create what you want. Lailah Gifty Akita

Passionate attraction to someone of the opposite sex will make a hero or a fool of a novelist each time. Roman Payne

Never be afraid to write what you believe. If the message speaks the truth, others will fear your words for you. Rob Bignell

...writing allows us to reposition ourselves so we can see what is otherwise in our mental blind spots or those things about oneself and the world that we neither can see nor understand from the spot where we stand. Rob Bignell

Asking a writer why they like to write {in the theoretical sense of the question} is like asking a person why they breathe. For me, writing is a natural reflex to the beauty, the events, and the people I see around me. As Anais Nin put it, "We write to taste life twice." I live and then I write. The one transfers to the other, for me, in a gentle, necessary way. As prosaic as it sounds, I believe I process by writing. Part of the way I deal with stressful situations, catty people, or great joy or great trials in my own life is by conjuring it onto paper in some way; a journal entry, a blog post, my writing notebook, or my latest story. While I am a fair conversationalist, my real forte is expressing myself in words on paper. If I leave it all chasing round my head like rabbits in a warren, I'm apt to become a bug-bear to live with and my family would not thank me. Some people need counselors. Some people need long, drawn-out phone-calls with a trusted friend. Some people need to go out for a run. I need to get away to a quiet, lonesome corner--preferably on the front steps at gloaming with the North Star trembling against the darkening blue. I need to set my pen fiercely against the page {for at such moments I must be writing--not typing.} and I need to convert the stress or excitement or happiness into something to be shared with another person. The beauty of the relationship between reading and writing is its give-and-take dynamic. For years I gathered and read every book in the near vicinity and absorbed tale upon tale, story upon story, adventures and sagas and dramas and classics. I fed my fancy, my tastes, and my ideas upon good books and thus those aspects of myself grew up to be none too shabby. When I began to employ my fancy, tastes, and ideas in writing my own books, the dawning of a strange and wonderful idea tinged the horizon of thought with blush-rose colors: If I persisted and worked hard and poured myself into the craft, I could create one of those books. One of the heart-books that foster a love of reading and even writing in another person somewhere. I could have a hand in forming another person's mind. A great responsibility and a great privilege that, and one I would love to be a party to. Books can change a person. I am a firm believer in that. I cannot tell you how many sentiments or noble ideas or parts of my own personality are woven from threads of things I've read over the years. I hoard quotations and shadows of quotations and general impressions of books like a tzar of Russia hoards his icy treasures. They make up a large part of who I am. I think it's worth saying again: books can change a person. For better or for worse. As a writer it's my two-edged gift to be able to slay or heal where I will. It's my responsibility to wield that weapon aright and do only good with my words. Or only purposeful cutting. I am not set against the surgeon's method of butchery--the nicking of a person's spirit, the rubbing in of a salty, stinging salve, and the ultimate healing-over of that wound that makes for a healthier person in the end. It's the bitter herbs that heal the best, so now and again you might be called upon to write something with more cayenne than honey about it. But the end must be good. We cannot let the Light fade from our words. . Rachel Heffington

Nothing leaves a scar upon an Authors heart more than a book they've written with purpose going unread. Mark W. Boyer

I don't write to chase away my demons ~I wield my pen as a weapon...calling those bastards to war! Muse

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

One day I will write a book. An epitaph Bangambiki Habyarimana

Every book has its ancestors Bangambiki Habyarimana

Writing is exposing yourself to strangers Bangambiki Habyarimana

Writing is a competition between the writer and the page. When the page wins, you fail as a writer. Bangambiki Habyarimana

Write and your experiences with others. Never underestimate your writings. It can bring hope and inspiration to many people. Lailah Gifty Akita

May be its a good idea to write something about you in my book... At least then, there will be a place where we will meet everyday... and be together forever! Anamika Mishra

Though this child came in with nothing but excess baby fat, chemical brain waves, and mother and son bodily toxins on his legs, he had a fate fit for a modern day demigod. David Scheier

Each time I write, I reaffirm my soul. Rob Bignell

Writing heals my heart like no pill ever could. Rob Bignell

My pen beats faster as I write with my heart Munia Khan

I want to question societal norms, encourage people to think in new ways. Carla H. Krueger

There is just too much cruelty, selfishness and corruption in the world not to want to crush the poisonous will of those who cause it by writing about it as powerfully as I can. Carla H. Krueger

Celebrate your day of birthday as special day. Make a specific birthday wishes and write it down. You will be amazed about the power of pen and inner strength to accomplish the wishes. This will be a special gift for yourself on each birthday. Lailah Gifty Akita

When I write, I try to represent the voices of people I've known who had no voice. Carla H. Krueger

No one can tell you what you can and cannot put in your book. So be brave and just write! Chrys Fey

Words are the writer's sorcery, our dark arts and our sleight of hand. They're our enchantment and our temptation Karl Wiggins

Fiction gives us a reach into the lives of individuals that would otherwise be but a closed door. If we are gifted with a desire to tell tales, then we should tell them .. . if only to reach but a few. James D. Maxon

Writing is more about telling other peoples' stories than your own Carla H. Krueger

A real piece of writing is one in which the writer has tried to enrich not only the book, but also his understanding of the words. The words themselves have to be open to new ideas and suggestions, and the writer himself must have the audacity to attempt new things and to risk failure Karl Wiggins

Every one of the big breakthroughs in the art of literature have possibly started as what many would call a ludicrous or even laughable idea as the writer occasionally balances a routine piece with an investment in the eccentric and untried. Over time, the reward is usually worth the risk Karl Wiggins

When I write, I write obsessively. I try to pace myself, but some fires are too hot to put out. Carla H. Krueger

I’m an observer. I am fascinated by people and how their minds work (and, of course, my own). Why we are the way we are, why we do the things we do — and that interest drives my writing. I was a physicist before fiction claimed my soul, so I’m an experimenter. I’m open to different ways of thinking. I like exaggerating, making things up. I’m a very open, honest person in life and that’s the way it should be, but when it comes to fiction, I want to pour a few sharp objects into the comfort zone. Our fears are powerful, yet we’ve all got a desire to laugh and be entertained. I could have followed the same path I do now as a scientist, examining how the brain works. Ironically I get much more freedom to experiment as a writer. That’s why I love it. Carla H. Krueger

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. Norbet Platt

What do you do when your head - your imagination is filled with tales to last a hundred lifetimes? You focus on the really good ones! Storm Princeholm

I live, love and loathe my characters. They stole my mind. They stole my heart. Carla H. Krueger

What happened was that sometimes I was, from a young age, put in the theater to watch movies because they kept me quiet and they kept me entertained, and they got me out from under the feet of my parents. So from a very early age, I went to the movies and I soon grew to prefer the life of the movies to my own life. The reality that the movies offered was preferable to the reality that I was experiencing. I became a child movie addict. I would go in with great pleasure and I'd never look at what was playing -- what was playing was unimportant. The fact was that I was entering a new world, an environment where not only was it much more attractive than my life was ordinarily, but also I could manipulate it to an extent by coming and going, and by looking at scenes or not, which I could not in my own life. I was subjected to my own domestic life. But I discovered a kind of power at the movies. Donald Richie

I have wrought my simple plan If I give one hour of joy To the boy who’s half a man, Or the man who’s half a boy. Arthur Conan Doyle