“I’ve often said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen-whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book-it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place.”
~ Jeffrey Deaver
“I’m one of the narrative-push people. I don’t outline, I don’t plan ahead. So I’m my first reader, telling myself the story as I’m going along. Since I haven’t designed it ahead of time, each day I have to be sure that the footing is solid before I make the next step. I think you could be more intricate if you work it out ahead of time.”
“In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives.”
~ Stephen King
“My job as the writer is to fool you. Your job as the reader is to see if you can catch me at it.”
As a writer, you paint strokes and leave suggestions so readers can create their own pictures. That allows you to know someone by a small action and it saves countless pages of explanation. ~ Mary Higgins Clark
“If you want to write for yourself, get a diary. If you want to write for your friends, get a blog. If you want to write for others…become an author.”
“In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you is an original. Each of you has a distinctive voice. When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard.”
“You learn to write the same way you learn to play golf… You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right. A lot of people think something mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you on the ear. But writing isn’t divinely inspired – it’s hard work.”
“I don’t think I ever have trouble with writer’s block. It’s different when you make it up as you go – that means you’re going to get stuck. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, I’d say, “I don’t know where the hell this story is going.”
“The enemy is not the badly written page; it is the empty page the great advantage of a badly written page is that it can be rewritten. It can be improved. A blank page is zero. In fact, it’s worse than zero, because it represents territory you’re afraid, unwilling, or too lazy to explore. Avoid exploring this territory long enough, and you’ll abandon your book.”
Timothy Hallinan
