I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.
A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.
Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.
Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.
To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.
To live a creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong.
Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.
Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
A writer can do nothing for men more necessary, satisfying, than just simply to reveal to them the infinite possibilities of their own souls.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
Instead of following the rules without regard for whether they’re making our writing effective or not, we often need to question the rules. To write with style, we need at times to break the rules.
A novel is an impression, not an argument; and there the matter must rest.
A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.
Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.