Writing Quotes
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I had an insanely long commute - New York to D.C. - when I worked at 'National Geographic.' I hate to waste time, so I spent my time by writing about my life on the premise that I might be able to pitch those as short essays to magazines. It wasn't until later that I realized that I was writing a book.
Charles M. Blow
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There was a day when I liked writing letters -- it has gone. Unfortunately the passion for getting them remains.
Virginia Woolf
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The first act of insight is throw away the labels. In fiction, while we do not necessarily write about ourselves, we write out of ourselves, using ourselves; what we learn from, what we are sensitive to, what we feel strongly about--these become our characters and go to make our plots. Characters in fiction are conceived from within, and they have, accordingly, their own interior life; they are individuals every time.
Eudora Welty
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When I return to the writing process after being away from it for a while, the first part of it always is being honest with myself: What am I into right now? Is it rock bands and guitars, is it noise, is it dance beats and electronics? Is it space, is it clutter?
Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails
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But I've been at writing long enough now to know that every three or four books I have to start a new direction.
Daniel Woodrell
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I can't tell you how many times I've been writing an article only to get distracted by an email notification, either on my laptop or smartphone.
John Rampton
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After high school, I went to Stanford University and majored in English. Of course, that gave me a chance to do lots more reading and writing. I also received degrees in London and Dublin - where I moved to be near a charming Irishman who became my husband!
Linda Sue Park
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Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious about writing. So, reading Tolstoy several times - 'War and Peace,' 'The Kreutzer Sonata' - all those were really important to me.
Karl Marlantes
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Whether you want to entertain or to provoke, to break hearts or reassure them, what you bring to your writing must consist of your longings and disappointments.
Rafael Yglesias
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I need to have some depth in my characters. That's why they are all Bengalis. I can't imagine writing a book with someone called Saxena as the hero.
Upamanyu Chatterjee
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At least in my case, a very simple, regular, happy life makes for better writing.
Lauren Groff
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'Flaubert's Parrot' is an amphibious book in which what appears to be a personal essay about Flaubertian writing is gradually, delicately transformed into an extremely sad novel in which the differences between character, author, and narrator are less clear than they appear at first glance.
Alvaro Enrigue
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There is a real formula to writing music, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge. It's very formulaic. The subject matter that you can address in pop music is somewhat restricted. It just doesn't allow that same emotive quality that you can put into poetry.
Edgar Winter
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I always try to find things worth saying, things that are supposed to be said instead of being contrived. I do a ton of writing.
Andy Grammer
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I used to have a real passion for writing, but not so much anymore - probably because I do too much of it.
Wale
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I wasn't very good about juggling family and my career. I was interested in who was coming to the children's birthday party, what my son was writing. I was thinking about Legos.
Jill Clayburgh
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Still, something about writing made me spend large hours of my free time at my desk.
John Grisham
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If I'm not writing well, I'm not happy. If I'm not spending enough time with my family, I'm not happy. If I'm not connecting to friends or if I don't work out enough... You get the point. Everything has to be balanced. Nothing should be an extreme.
Harlan Coben