"The role of a
writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury
"I try to leave out
the parts that people skip." ~Elmore Leonard
"Never use the
word, 'very.' It is the weakest word in the English language; doesn't mean
anything. If you feel the urge of 'very' coming on, just write the word,
'damn,' in the place of 'very.' The editor will strike out the word, 'damn,' and
you will have a good sentence." ~William Allen White
"I'm not a very
good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." ~James Michener
"The wastebasket is
a writer's best friend." ~Isaac Bashevis Singer
"Fill your paper
with the breathings of your heart." ~William Wordsworth
"Don't tell me the
moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~Anton
Chekhov
"The difference
between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter -
it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." ~Mark
Twain
"I love
writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human
emotions." ~James Michener
"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison
"Words - so
innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for
good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine
them." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
"To me, the
greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the
words make." ~Truman Capote
"For me, a page of
good prose is where one hears the rain [and] the noise of battle." ~John
Cheever
"Do not put
statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague."
~William Safire, Great Rules of Writing
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague."
~William Safire, Great Rules of Writing
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