If you’re dreaming of writing a book, here’s some perspective.
- “Write what should not be forgotten.” — Isabel Allende
- “The story must strike a nerve in me. My heart should start pounding when I hear the first line in my head. I start trembling at the risk.” — Susan Sontag
- “Run your own race. Don’t worry about how fast someone else writes, how much another author makes, how many followers another author has. Write what makes you excited, and the enthusiasm will come through on the page.” — Christina Lauren
- “Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.” — Stephen King
- “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison
- “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” — Madeleine L’Engle
- “I always write in the morning. I was pleased to hear lately that Rousseau, too, after he got up in the morning, went for a short walk and sat down to work. In the morning one’s head is particularly fresh. The best thoughts most often come in the morning after waking while still in bed or during the walk.” — Leo Tolstoy
- “The author, in his work, must be like God in the Universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere.” — Gustave Flaubert
- “You can’t fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal.” — William S. Burroughs
- “I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English — it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep.” — Mark Twain
Some of them seem to think it has to be book-length. Short and sweet can be compelling, too.
