writing-craft

I owe all my originality, such as it is, to my determination not to be a literary man. Instead of belonging to a literary club I belong to a municipal council. Instead of drinking and discussing authors and reviews, I sit on committees with capable practical greengrocers and bootmakers... Keep away from books and from men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be fresh.

I just write whenever I can.

Most writing is done between the mind and the hand, not between the hand and the page.

Don't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.

I had declared in public my desire to be a writer ... I wanted to develop a curiosity that was oceanic and insatiable as well as a desire to learn and use every word in the English language that didn't sound pretentious or ditzy.

I__e come to the end of another book alive. At times like this I__ always at a loss for words.

If your writing doesn't keep you up at night, it won't keep anyone else up either

Good fiction makes the truth believable.

Remember that you don't write a story because you have an idea but because you have a believable character.

Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil. J.Paul Getty

If I ask you to think about something, you can decide not to. But if I make you feel something? Now I have your attention.

Part of being a writer is defending your vision and not caving in to outside pressures.

Don__ start right off writing the __reat American Novel_, that's too much pressure and you'll get disappointed; start with porn, it__ fun and a good way to get your feet wet.

If you're a writer, write. And always strive for excellence.

I say fuck the old advice 'show, don't tell.' It's called story TELLING for a reason, and I'll stick to it!

Depend upon it, after all, Thomas, Literature is the most noble of professions. In fact, it is about the only one fit for a man. For my own part, there is no seducing me from the path.

I never waited for my Irish Cream coffee to be the right temperature, with a storm happening outside and my fireplace crackling ... I wrote every day, at home, in the office, whether I felt like it or not, I just did it.

I always tell my writing students that every good piece of writing begins with both a mystery and a love story. And that every single sentence must be a poem. And that economy is the key to all good writing. And that every character has to have a secret.