Some writers write to forget. Some forget to write.

Rules such as "Write what you know," and "Show, don't tell," while doubtlessly grounded in good sense, can be ignored with impunity by any novelist nimble enough to get away with it. There is, in fact, only one rule in writing fiction: Whatever works, works.

The internet is killing the art of writing. The big "publish" button begs you to publish even before you go back and make one single edit, and as if this was not enough, you have instant readers who praise your writing skills!-

Actors are all about entrances, but writers are all about exits.

That's what I love most about writers--they're such lousy actors.

The words of his various writing instructors and professional mentors over the years came back to him at times like these, and he found a new understanding in their advice: Writing is rewriting. The rough draft is just that. You can’t polish what you haven’t written. Things that made for a normal life—like a daily routine that followed the sun—took a back seat to times like these, and he exulted in that change because it served as proof that his writing was indeed the most important thing in his life. It wasn’t a conscious choice on his part, like deciding to repaint the bathroom or go buy the groceries, but an overarching reallocation of his existence that was as undeniable as breathing. Day turned into night, breakfast turned into dinner, and the laptop or the writing tablet beckoned even when he was asleep. He would often awake with a new idea—as if he’d merely been on a break and not unconscious—and he would see the empty seat before the desk not as his station in some pointless assembly line, but as the pilot’s seat in a ship that could go anywhere.

There are always messages, even enigmas to be searched, mysteries to be solved in all of my books. I like to puzzle readers, but I do not make so to the point of being so complex that they will lose interest in the plot. And that for me is the essence of every great literature around the world, and that’s been so for ages.(....)Some were inpired by real life characters, some other books I wrote are hybrid fiction/non-fiction, so I pretty much get inspired by people who have lived, and even who are still breathing among us… so don’t get discouraged if I didn’t mention your personality traits yet. I might even have your name over my books, I must some day…

I’ve never liked the term ‘actor’.” Barron spoke slowly, joining hands with the cast members to his left and right. The rest of them formed a circle, also holding hands, and he continued. “Seriously now, is anyone here ‘acting’? Is anyone here pretending? “Me, I’m a theater director. One hundred percent, all the time. I’m not pretending, or acting, or trying to fool anyone. This is what I do, and I give it my all—just like you. I look around me, and I don’t see a single phony. I see people who give their hearts, their minds, and their very lives to being serious performers on the stage. In the last weeks I’ve watched every one of you give up the easy life to come here and bust a gut to make this show a reality. “That’s why I call you performers. Not actors—performers. Because when it’s time to prepare, you work out every nuance of a role. When it’s time to step in front of the crowd, you reach out and pull them in with both hands. When it’s time to say your lines, you deliver them with skill and meaning. That’s performance. And there’s nothing phony about that. There’s nothing pretend about that. There’s no acting that will take the place of that. “And so that’s my wish for you tonight: Have a great performance. You’ve done the work, you’re ready, and now it’s time to show off. Have fun out there, gang. Perform.” --Jerome Barron's opening night pep talk to the cast of Death Troupe

Some artists benefit less from being interviewed than they do from being left alone.

I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because when I write, I am not trying to prove anything to anyone, I am just expressing myself and my opinions. It’s ok if my opinions are different from those of the reader, each of us can have his own opinions. So writing is like talking, if you are afraid of writing, you may end up being afraid of talking

I am not a supporter of burning books; but like poison, some books should be kept away from simple minds who can't take in the strong content they provide

One author said "I write because I want to live a footprint in the sands of history.” It's hard to live a footprint in the sands of history when giants are passing through the same sands unless you are one of the giants

In order to protect their good names for posterity, many writers never wrote what they thought or the truth as it stood. That's why truth still lies hidden in matters of power, sex and religion. No wonder they chose to do so, many who dared paid with their heads

I'll call any length of fiction a story, whether it be a novel or a shorter piece, and I'll call anything a story in which specific characters and events influence each other to form a meaningful narrative. I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one. Then they find themselves writing a sketch with an essay woven through it, or an essay with a sketch woven through it, or an editorial with a character in it, or a case history with a moral, or some other mongrel thing. When they realize that they aren't writing stories, they decide that the remedy for this is to learn something that they refer to as "the technique of the short story" or "the technique of the novel." Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories it is something organic, something that grows out of the material, and this being the case, it is different for every story of any account that has ever been written.

If you are writing fiction, think like a god. Release all the power of your imagination; create worlds and destroy them at your will, create as many miracles as your story needs

Fiction though it is a fiction, should be written in a way that it feels like a reality, a reality every reader willingly or sometimes unwillingly goes through, until the reader finishes reading and sometimes even after that.

The world would have been a better place if some men had just shut their mouths.

I am what I have ever read

We write, not because we claim to know more than others, but perhaps because we want to know more than others. Writers are explorers

Words disappear in the air, but writing remains. If you want something to be remembered about you, write it down

A writer is never alone, he is always with himself

You say you have nothing to write about? How do you find things to talk about? You can write about those things you like to talk about, that's your area of expertise

. If you want to write, just write anything that comes into your mind. You will be surprised at how you can force inspiration to stand on your side.

You can edit what you write. Why not edit what you say? If it hurts somebody, you can still offer an apology or withdraw your statements

Able writers let us into their minds and show us how they think and by that open our minds to ourselves

Sometimes I have a good idea, something I wish I could remember, and instead of writing it down, commit it to my memory only to disappear when I needed it. Write your ideas as they come, if you wait it will be too long and you may not recover it. It may get destroyed as it is to seed to and fro in the ever rushing river of our thoughts

If you are afraid of the critics you will never write a word

You never know what you will write until you write it

Write it as you see in your own perspective, you may be right or wrong but then what, that's how you see it

How do you feel when you read stuff written by dead authors? A visit by a ghost?

You cannot write if you are not angry

You cannot write if you are not on fire

Writing is sharing. You share what you have. Great writers have more to share

People speak even after their death. Only do speak those who have recorded their speech in writing before they die, the rest go silent forever

The power of a writer is that he is a god of sorts. He can create his own worlds and populate them with his own people, all by the powers of his imagination. It's the closest a man can come close to the gods. No wonder the most successful writers are considered immortals

Self-censorship is more efficient than any police. You write and say not what you really think, but what you believe is acceptable. By that process we lose those revolutionary ideas that could change society for the better

Many writers write because they’ve been there, seen that, did it and burnt their fingers

A writer reports on the universe. When he presents his credentials, the gates of heaven and hell are equally opened to him. He can hear the devil’s defense and god’s accusations. The guards at the king’s heart let him in. The writer can be anything and any one he wants. When he writes he is a god, he creates.

If I can write, who possibly can’t. Even drawing a line in the sand is writing

The power of the writer is to capture the thoughts live and present them as they appeared in his mind

Writing is self-pleasure

Writing is all about self-expression, we want to speak up, to get it off our chest. Whether we make an impact or not that is not for us to decide

If I had time, money and knowledge I could write about everything; but no problem, Google is already doing it

Writing is magic happening on paper

Every book is worth reading. If it cannot make you wiser it will make you a critic

Today almost everybody is a writer, the enormous publish button on blogs and websites begs you everywhere to click on it! And bam you are a writer. To hell with agents and publishing houses and rejection letters. Immortality for you is on the click of a mouth! We are advancing at the speed of light! You can become an author at 140 characters. To hell with long winding sentences and long hours of scratching the head, the immortals of today instantly get a "like" and they instantly enter the pantheon! They seat side by side Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, St Paul, Buddha, Martin Luther, Rousseau, Bangambiki…

When I write sometimes I strike gold, sometimes I labor in vain and keep producing rubbish

Don't believe in everything that is written. Not everything that is written is true

Doing nothing can be as rewarding as doing something. And doing very little can be as productive, in a creative sense, as doing a lot.

Whenever I encounter writer’s block, I stop writing … with my hands; and I then start writing with my legs.

When I'm writing I don't want anyone else in the room - including myself.

Every writer should know their target. Aim for the heart ~ hit that and all which follows is sheer ecstasy.

Subtlety is the mark of confidence and is thus by far the hardest thing for a writer to achieve.

The fact is that if the writer's attention is on producing a work of art, a work that is good in itself, he is going to take great pains to control every excess, everything that does not contribute to this central meaning and design. He cannot indulge in sentimentality, in propagandizing, or in pornography and create a work of art, for all these things are excesses. They call attention to themselves and distract from the work as a whole.

The secret to good writing is to use small words for big ideas, not to use big words for small ideas.

Passionate attraction to someone of the opposite sex will make a hero or a fool of a novelist each time.

My job as a writer is simple. Write a book I’m proud of, and present it as a gift to the world. Some will love it.Some will hate it.That’s the nature of art.

My job as a writer is simple.Write a book I’m proud of,and present it as a gift to the world.Some will love it.Some will hate it.That’s the nature of art.

The only difference between writers and people who don't write is that writers aren't afraid to display their demons.

Yeah, episodic doesn't work. Your coolest character needs something big and meaningful to do. Otherwise, well, it's just narrative shit.

I am sorry, I am not a writer. I simply put my thoughts on paper. Those helped by them call them a book and me a writer. Those who are not helped call it rubbish and me a fool. Both have reason.

One day I will write a book. An epitaph

Every book has its ancestors

Writing is exposing yourself to strangers

Writing is a competition between the writer and the page. When the page wins, you fail as a writer.

The biggest thing for aspiring writers I would say is that writing is hard work. You can’t sustain the fantasy that it should somehow be otherwise for you because you are more special or more committed than other aspiring writers. You aren’t sitting down to be entertained by the gods or to entertain yourself. At times it can be a thrill and it feels more like play, but we are easily deceived by whatever pleasures or rewards writing can offer. Exhilarating work is still work. Is it work, or is it play? And the answer is “yes.” Does it sometimes feel like it comes easily or naturally? Yes. But did it really come easily? No. Writing doesn’t offer the rhythmic endorphin hit you get scrolling down the screen clicking on memes. Are you up for the work it is going to take to become successful as a writer? It is going to be harder than you think. You are submitting to forces and to a process that you can’t fully control. There is maybe a tiny bit more control if you self-publish, and there is no shame in doing that, but even that is going to introduce hard work. Probably harder than you think. If my next novel can’t find a home, I’m not above self-publishing it in some capacity and then moving on to the next project.

When a person sets out to learn from others and not to teach others he becomes a true writer.

Plot comes from the mind but the characters come from the heart!

Books have a life. They breathe. When you write a book, it grows and changes. You learn from your characters after you create them. They come from you and you become them.

Someone asked me, 'How do you write a book?' I said, 'I live with a pen in one hand.

Books are like rivers, meandering this way and that, but taking us on a steady, flowing course to somewhere different.

It's better to be remembered for what you said, not what you earned.

Writing is like a religion to those who don't practise, an act of faith for those who do.

If I don't stay in and write, I feel like a prisoner.

My best writing happens when I’m fighting to produce it.

Maugham then offers the greatest advice anyone could give to a young author: "At the end of an interrogation sentence, place a question mark. You'd be surprised how effective it can be.

Here's one prophecy the writer can make - you'll never be rich and you'll probably be poor.

The skill of writing needs much patience, practicing, and time. There is no good writing from a quick effort, or a confused writer.

Dialogues must appear as natural as if coming from effortless writing. It must not sweat. Your beloved readers must not sweat. But here am I, literally sweating, because my characters are literally talking dirty in a steamy sweaty and bloody scene.

Writing as a creative art flourishes only when there are no rules. Rules stifle you from entering the silent and forbidden spaces where the core of the story is waiting to be revealed.

A writer must expect other people to criticize their work and open-mindedly consider all worthwhile suggestions. Martial arts master Bruce Lee advised anyone attempting to master a difficult enterprise to learn from other people but also liberally experiment and judiciously draw from our own well of intelligence and talent. ‘Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

The beginning of every writing session is like setting down a road unknown.

Introduction of deus ex machina is a tell-tale sign of sloppy plotting.

If you aren't willing to put your best work out there, write for yourself. Don't ever publish.

You can swap the message around, and whatever the particular norm is, or whatever the particular message is, when you put your pet-peeve message before story, odds are you are going to bore the shit out of your reader.

Nouns and verbs are the guts of the language. Beware of covering up with adjectives and adverbs.

Make your heroes ambitious, always looking for more success and uniqueness.To write the best story you can, think of making your hero, or heroes, have an ambitious for an unlimited success.-How to write the best story-

Deal with your readers that theyare smart, and write a language thatsuits their intelligence.- How to write the best story-

Choose noble goals for your heroes.Make them Sympathize with the poor, collaborates on the good goals, always step forward for the good actions, the first ones to do the right things, care to reserve others rights, and respect the laws, traditions and values.

Tighten your prose so the story flows.

We need to boost each other to get to the top. It is much more effective than stepping on each other.

Great content inspires action.

After writing, there is the letting go part. Perfection is a myth; as we all get better by day.Allow yourself to grow in active practice, release that book to the world, and do better with the next one.

Don't let society's defined genre hold you down, be a free spirit and just write, let society be the one to decide where each piece fits in.

Style and voice are different. Style is standard conventions of writing; voice is the distinct way an individual puts words together. All good writers have a near-uniform understanding of style, but a voice all their own.

Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but ­essentially you’re on your own. ­Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.