Writerly Advice by Penny Warner

Whenever I get discouraged, I look to successful writers to inspire me. The following are my favorites:

There's nothing to writing. 
All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.
  ~ Walter Wellesley Smith

I try to leave out the parts that people skip. 
~Elmore Leonard

If there's a book you really want to read,
but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. 
~Toni Morrison

Writing became such a process of discovery
that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: 
I wanted to know what I was going to say. 
~Sharon O'Brien

The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion,
some place, in the air.  All I must do is find it, and copy it. 
~Jules Renard


I love being a writer. 
What I can't stand is the paperwork. 
~Peter De Vries

What no partner of a writer can ever understand is that
 a writer is working when she's staring out of the window. 
~Burton Rascoe

You can't wait for inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club.
~Jack London

What are your favorite pieces of writerly advice?

Comments

[Michael A. Black]

Penny, I especially liked Dutch's quip about leaving out the stuff that people skip. He's so good he makes it look easy.

[Ann]

Here are some fun ones by Oscar Wilde to add to your list:
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
(particularly good to keep in mind when tempted to follow in the footsteps of famous/rich authors! ;-) )
.... The rest of these can come in handy when creating characters for mysteries
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
“A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.” (particularly good for victims!)
“Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”
“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.” (more victims!)
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” (and what trouble that can lead to! ;-) )

[penny warner]

Hi Michael,
I got to see him in person and he shared his writing rules, which included that one. He was mesmerizing!

[penny warner]

Hi Ann,
Great idea - using motivating quotes to "motivate" our characters!