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William Zinsser (b. October 7): “Writing is a craft not an art” & other quotes on writing

7 Oct
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William Zinsser, born 7 October 1922, is an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He is best known for the book, On Writing Well.

10 quotes on writing:

  1. Writing is a craft not an art.
  2. You learn to write by writing.
  3. Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.
  4. Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost.
  5. Writers must constantly ask: what am I trying to say? Surprisingly often, they don’t know.
  6. Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose.
  7. Nothing has replaced the writer. He or she is still stuck with the same old job of saying something that other people will want to read.
  8. The reader will notice if you are putting on airs. Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.
  9. Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.
  10. Many people assume that professional writers don’t need to rewrite; the words just fall in place. On the contrary, careful writers can’t stop fiddling.

Simon Cowell (b. October 7): “Ending the animal trade would leave more time to trap popstar wannabes.”

7 Oct

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“The end of the animal trade would leave more time to trap or beat to death pop star wannabes.”

~ Simon Cowell, b. 7 October 1959

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Clive Barker (b. October 5): “Horror is the wild-dog genre” & other quotes on writing

5 Oct

Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author, film director, video game designer and visual artist known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. He is best-known for his short stories which were adapted for film as the Hellraiser and Candyman series. He has also written 18 novels.

Eight quotes about writing:

  1. I firmly believe that a story is only as good as the villain.
  2. Books should make somebody look at how they feel, be honest with themselves.
  3. Nothing ever begins. There is no first moment; no single word or place from which this or any other story springs.
  4. Gather experience… Look at what you should not look at. A feeling of anxiety is the sure and certain evidence that you should do this.
  5. Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion.
  6. By and large, horror fiction is the most difficult to domesticate because part of the point is that it’s one step ahead – or behind – everybody else’s taste. And I’m not really convinced I’d like it to change. There’s something very healthy about horror fiction being always a little bit on the outside. It’s the wild-dog genre.
  7.  One of the things I’m trying to do over and over again in my books is create new mythologies, create new ways to understand the complexity of the world. I think what mythology does is impress upon chaotic experience the patterns, hierarchies and shapes which allow us to interpret the chaos and make fresh sense of it.
  8. Movies are much more fascist than books. They tell you what to feel, when to feel it. Popular movies manipulate you. Music tells you when it’s a sad part and when it’s a happy part. You’re obliged to watch them at the speed the filmmaker has created for you. That, I think, is one of the reasons why they’re so popular – because you don’t have to think very hard. The filmmaker has done all the thinking for you.

 

Jackie Collins (b. October 4): “Inspiration is all around me” & other quotes about writing

4 Oct

Jackie Collins (born 4 October 1937) is an English novelist who has written 29 novels and sold over 500 million copies. Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen.

Here’s what she has to say about writing:

  1. If you want to be a writer, stop talking about it and sit down and write!
  2. I’ve come a long way! My message to women is, girls can do anything.
  3. I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down – the truth is much more bizarre.
  4. I should be writing until I drop. I’ll be a little old lady of 106. I never see myself stopping what I do because it’s my passion.
  5. I think I’m a born storyteller. Inspiration is all around me. I can read a newspaper article and come up with an idea for a book.
  6.  I really fall in love with my characters, even the bad ones. I love getting together with them. They tell me what to do; they take me on a wild and wonderful trip.
  7. I’ve written 20 books, and each one is like having a baby. Writing is not easy; some people want to write books but just can’t put a story together. I can put together a story that interests both me and my readers.

Gore Vidal (b. October 3): “Write something, even if it’s just a suicide note” & other quotes about writing

3 Oct

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Gore Vidal (born 3 October 1925, died 31 July 2012) wrote novels, screenplays and Broadway plays. His most widely regarded novels are Myra Breckinridge, Julian, Burr, and Lincoln, The City and the Pillar. His screen-writing credits included Ben-Hur which won the 1959 Academy Award for Best Picture.

He was also known for his feuds with Norman Mailer and Truman Capote. Remembered for his caustic wit, he referred to himself as a ‘gentleman bitch’ and has been described as the 20th century’s answer to Oscar Wilde. He was the last of a generation of American writers who served in World War II, including J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer, and Joseph Heller.

 Gore Vidal’s Top 10 Quotes on Writing:

  1. Write something, even if it’s just a suicide note.
  2. Some writers take to drink, others take to audiences.
  3. Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head.
  4. Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.
  5. Southerners make good novelists: they have so many stories because they have so much family.
  6. How marvellous books are, crossing worlds and centuries, defeating ignorance and, finally, cruel time itself.
  7. I sometimes think it is because they are so bad at expressing themselves verbally that writers take to pen and paper in the first place.
  8. Today’s public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can’t read them either.
  9. Write what you know will always be excellent advice for those who ought not to write at all. Write what you think, what you imagine, what you suspect!
  10. You can’t really succeed with a novel anyway; they’re too big. It’s like city planning. You can’t plan a perfect city because there’s too much going on that you can’t take into account. You can, however, write a perfect sentence now and then. I have.

Graham Greene (b. October 2): “Pain is easy to write about” & other quotes about writing

2 Oct

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Graham Greene (born 2 October 1904, died 3 April 1991) was an English author, playwright and literary critic who suffered from bipolar disorder. After several suicide attempts as a schoolboy, he was sent to a psychoanalyst who introduced him to his circle of literary friends and encouraged him to write. Greene was one of the few authors who managed to combine literary acclaim with widespread popularity, enjoying financial success and associating with T.S. Eliot, Ian Fleming and Noel Coward. His novels include The End of the Affair, The Third Man, The Quiet American and Our Man in Havana.

Following are eight of his quotes on writing:

  1. All good novelists have bad memories.
  2. Pain is easy to write about. In pain we’re all happily individual. But what can one write about happiness?
  3. One has no talent. I have no talent. It’s just a question of working, of being willing to put in the time.
  4. A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.
  5. The moment comes when a character does or says something you hadn’t thought about. At that moment he’s alive and you leave it to him.
  6. My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.
  7. Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.
  8. The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people. You’re there, listening to every word, but part of you is observing. Everything is useful to a writer, you see – every scrap, even the longest and most boring of luncheon parties.

Tommy Lee Jones (b. September 15): “Characters with no integrity are interesting…”

15 Sep

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“Characters with no integrity are just as interesting as characters with lots of integrity.”

~ Tommy Lee Jones, b. 15 September 1946

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Roald Dahl (b. September 13): “The life of a writer is absolute hell.”

13 Sep

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“The life of a writer is absolute hell. If he is a writer of fiction he lives in a world of fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not.”

~ Roald Dahl, b. 13 September 1916

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Jennifer Hudson (b. September 12): “Don’t block your blessings.”

12 Sep

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“Don’t block your blessings. Don’t let doubt stop you from getting where you want to be.”  

~ Jennifer Hudson, b. 12 September 1981

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DH Lawrence (b. September 11): “Tragedy is like strong acid…”

11 Sep

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“Tragedy is like strong acid – it dissolves away all but the very gold of truth.”

~ D.H. Lawrence. b. 11 September 1885

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