TIPS and QUOTES FOR WRITERS
G'day folks,
Here are some great tips / quotes from those who would know.
On Getting Started:
“I always
advise children who ask me for tips on being a writer to read as much as they
possibly can. Jane Austen gave a young friend the same advice, so I’m in good
company there.” - J.K. Rowling, “Harry
Potter”
series.
“I would
advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent
he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” - Harper Lee, “To
Kill A Mockingbird.”
“You can't wait
for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London, “White
Fang.”
On Word Choice And Punctuation:
“Never
use a long word where a short one will do.” - George Orwell, “1984.”
“If you
are using dialogue — say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the
sound of speech.” - John Steinbeck, “The
Grapes of Wrath.”
“Cut out
all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own
joke.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great
Gatsby.”
On Story Development:
“The
writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up
there, throw rocks at them.” - Vladimir Nabokov, “Lolita.”
“A short
story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it.” -
Edgar Allen Poe, “The
Tell-Tale Heart.”
“Get it
down. Take Chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything
really good.” - William Faulkner, “The
Sound and the Fury.”
“Your
intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” - Ray Bradbury, “Fahrenheit
451.”
On Editing:
“Write
drunk, edit sober.” - Ernest Hemingway, “For
Whom the Bell Tolls.”
“When
your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of
excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials
is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.” - Stephen
King, “The
Green Mile.”
“My own
experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the
beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.” -
Anton Chekhov, “The
Lady with the Dog and Other Stories.”
“Substitute
‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it
and the writing will be just as it should be.” - Mark Twain, “The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
“Writing
is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” - Mark Twain, “The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
And Why Simplicity Is Always Key:
“The most
valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” -
Thomas Jefferson, “The
Declaration of Independence" and other writings.
“Think
like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” - William
Butler Yeats, “Fairy
and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.”
Clancy's comment: Don't ya just love the humour of Hemingway?
I'm ...
Think about this!
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