As you may know, we’ve been sourcing and sharing some inspiring writing quotes from famous authors on Twitter. They’ve proven to be of great inspiration to fellow writers, so we decided to regroup some of the most popular ones we shared in 2015 and post them on our blog.
A vivid example of “show, don’t tell” by one of the greatest novelists of all time.
Writers get to taste life twice.
The world has no use for half-assed writers.
How far ahead do you think about the plot and direction of your novel?
Your job as a writer is not to judge, but to help understand through explanation.
Don’t write about characters; write about people.
Read a thousand books, live a thousand lives.
Don’t wait to put your words on the page. Write while the heat is in you.
All great books came stemmed from a great idea.
There is no such thing as perfect writing.
Don’t be fooled by page numbers and word counts — great writing is often short and sweet.
Writing is about putting word after word until it’s done. It’s that simple, and that hard.
If it cannot be said, let it at least be immortalized in writing.
Write not only to explore the endless realms of your imagination, but to explore yourself.
One of many differences between writing and ballet dancing.
It’s your story, after all.
Don’t wait for inspiration to slap you in the face, go out there and find it (club optional).
The facts of fictional works may not be true, but there is definitely truth in the messages created.
No shortcuts. Write, rewrite, read.
What an author means when they say they are “working”.
Avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted.
Successful books leave the reader with a gift of a lesson learned.
If it makes you uncomfortable, write about it.
Pro-writer tip: if an idea wakes you up, write it down; you won’t regret it in the morning.
Put yourself into your hero’s shoes, and let them guide your writing.
There are no shortcuts.
No books are undeservedly remembered.
Live dangerously. Write dangerously.
Less is more, as Ted Geisel elegantly points out.
If you know of other cool quotes by writers, write them in the comments! Ah, and don’t forget to follow us on ReedsyHQ to get your daily dose of writing inspiration.
Originally published at blog.reedsy.com on January 13, 2016.
