We writers are all familiar with the constant feelings of doubt and intimate with frustration. Sometimes the best inspiration can be from the words of those who have mastered the craft. From the likes of Stephen King to Toni Morrison, here are nine quotes to inspire you to get writing!
1. “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”― Stephen King
Read! And write! These practices, when combined together, give the writer her basis for good writing. Reading is a form of teaching; when one reads, one learns how to write from other great authors.
2. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”―Ernest Hemingway
This vivid quote perhaps perfectly encapsulates what it means to be a writer. Writing isn't something that stems from the mind nor from one's pen. It is something innate, something that rests deep within the soul. As Hemingway so concisely puts it, writing is like bleeding in that our words emerge directly from our blood.
3. “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”―Toni Morrison
Inspiration for writing is so elusive. This frustration that so defines every writer's pen is one that Morrison tackles in this quote; if you find yourself yearning to read a book that has not been written, write it yourself. Often inspiration is drawn directly from the self, and this is yet another example of it.
4. “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”― Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
We so often complicate our words. Sometimes, the simplest ones are the most effective. We are often drawn to the complexity of making your writing the most evocative, most mesmerizing can often make it trip over itself. Instead, find the words that will make your writing concise. Perhaps they will be the ones you have searched for.
5. “We live and breathe words...It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them.”―Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince
Ah, books; our constant counterparts, small personalities in themselves. The speaker of this quote (for it is relayed by a character in Clare's novel, Clockwork Prince) speaks exactly how I, and I'm sure others, feel about books. They are unique, much like our human companions, and that in our loneliness, they are an invariable friend.
6. “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”― Mark Twain, The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain
Word choice is the inevitable plague that all writers struggle to overcome. What is the right word that conveys what one wants to say? There is a difference in connotation between "bad" and "malevolent". Be sure to remember and include words that would make one's writing the most descriptive.
7. “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”― W. Somerset Maugham
This quote touches exactly upon another struggle many writers who dabble in fiction writing encounter. How does one write a novel? How long should it take? What makes a novel interesting? These questions are unique to each writer. No one knows the three steps to write a book because they are specific to each individual!
8. “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
I think, out of all the quotes, this one speaks most directly to the writer in me. I desire to write well, to speak well, and to do it my entire life.
9. “Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters.”― Neil Gaiman
This quote was actually my senior quote. I chose it because of its somewhat comedic importance to my writing process. My writing does not flow perfectly every day. Of course on the days in which my writing comes to me I'm going to be excited! Who cares for tomorrow? I was able to produce something that I'm proud of today.
