Quotes on Writing

Drama lies in extreme exaggeration of the feelings, an exaggeration that dislocates flat everyday reality.

In relation to a writer, most readers believe in the Double Standard: they may be unfaithful to him as often as they like, but he must never, never be unfaithful to them.

Fame often makes a writer vain, but seldom makes him proud.

Why is it that we understand playing the cello will require work, but we attribute writing to the magic of inspiration?

It is my art. I am better at it than I ever was. And I will do it as long as I can. When you reach a certain age you can slough off what is unnecessary and concentrate on what is. And why not?

I do like people to read the books twice, because I write my novels about ideas which concern me deeply and I think are important, and therefore I want people to take them seriously. And to read it twice of course is taking it seriously.

A human being creates complexity by writing a novel on the surface of paper; a weather system creates complexity by writing waves on the surface of an ocean. What is the difference between the information carried in the words of a novel and the information carried on the waves of the sea? Listen, and the waves will speak, and someday, I tell you, you will write your thoughts on the surface of the sea.

I was brought up in the great tradition of the late nineteenth century: that a writer never complains, never explains and never disdains.

You do not write a novel for praise, or thinking of your audience. You write for yourself; you work out between you and your pen the things that intrigue you

There's a lot of really inspiring music coming around the bend - we tend to believe that to sound classic or timeless is to sound vintage or retro. It's a little bit dangerous, because you'll really miss a chance to make your mark as a generation.

Now and again thousands of memories _x000D_ converge, harmonize, _x000D_ arrange themselves around a central idea _x000D_ in a coherent form, _x000D_ and I write a story.

Writing is a fine therapy for people who are perpetually scared of nameless threats... for jittery people.

Every civilization sees itself as the center of the world and writes its history as the central drama of human history.

The way to write a thriller is to ask a question at the beginning, and answer it at the end.

When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out of material.

The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write for the purpose of making money.

The story was writing itself and I was having a hard time keeping up with it.

Because I don't have to be careful of people's feelings when I teach literature, and I do when I'm teaching writing.

Well, all the plays that I was trying to write were plays that would grab an audience by the throat and not release them, rather than presenting an emotion which you could observe and walk away from.

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.

The cutting of the gem has to be finished before you can see whether it shines.