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Writing Quotes

The craft and habit of writing.

This set covers a filmmaker tracing an early comedic style back to college years, and advice that writing something and deciding to publish it are two separate decisions entirely. For more on the finished product, see Book.

When I started writing comics, 'comics writer' was the most obscure job in the world! If I wanted to be a celebrity, I would have become a moody English screen actor.

Quotes by Alan Moore

On the one occasion where I did try writing a screenplay, I found the rewriting just unendurable.

Quotes by Alan Moore

I suppose with any good writing and interesting characters, you can have that awfully overused word: a journey.

Quotes by Alan Rickman

I'm pretty slow at writing papers.

Quotes by Alan Guth

I've been writing full-time since 1978.

Quotes by Alan Dean Foster

I started out when I was 29 - too young to write novels. I was broke. I was on unemployment insurance. I was supposed to be writing a Ph.D. dissertation, so I had a typewriter and a lot of paper.

Quotes by Alan Furst

I started writing in my 20s. I just wanted to write, but I didn't have anything to write about, so in the beginning, I wrote entertainments - mainly murder mysteries.

Quotes by Alan Furst

I've evolved in my writing to tell a more emotional story - my publisher, Random House, has urged that.

Quotes by Alan Furst

I never got any training in how to write novels as an English major at Oberlin, but I got some great training for writing novels from anthropology and from Margaret Mead.

Quotes by Alan Furst

My mother read nursery rhymes to me, and my grandmother told me folk stories, but as a child I had no interest in writing whatsoever.

Quotes by Alan Garner

I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay, rather than the novel.

Quotes by Alain de Botton

My writing always came out of a very personal place, out of an attempt to stay sane.

Quotes by Alain de Botton

I know a lot about writing, but I don't know much about how other industries work. I've tried to use my naivety to my advantage.

Quotes by Alain de Botton

Achingly funny as it was, Larry Gelbart's writing gave off sparks that turned a hard light on the way we are.

Quotes by Alan Alda

I started writing when I was about thirteen.

Quotes by Al Purdy

There are writers out there who say they're writing a second series, and then you pick it up and it feels exactly the same, only the lead character is blonde instead of brunette.

Quotes by Alafair Burke

When I first started writing for television in the seventies and eighties, the Internet didn't exist, and we didn't need to worry about foreign websites illegally distributing the latest TV shows and blockbuster movies online.

Quotes by Al Franken

I'm crushed by the responsibility of writing a satirical book.

Quotes by Al Franken

I hate writing.

Quotes by Al Alvarez

Now, if, as I think, writing should be, it's a kind of risky trade.

Quotes by Al Alvarez

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a quote about the kind of comedy someone used to write?
Yes. One quote reflects on what material might have looked like if the speaker had started earlier, guessing it would have resembled 'Damsels in Distress' kinds of films, since that's the kind of comedy being written at the time.
Is there advice here about writing versus publishing?
Yes. One quote advises students that writing a poem and publishing it are two quite separate things, encouraging them to write what they have to write rather than holding back out of fear it might upset someone. It's solid, honest advice for anyone starting out. For more encouraging quotes, see Good quotes.
Is there a quote about avoiding repetitive songwriting?
Yes - one quote says: "I hate it when bands keep making the same record over and over, so we're pushing ourselves to try new things and experiment in our writing approach." It's a statement about wanting to keep creative work fresh. Browse Like quotes for more on personal taste.
Is there a quote about balancing songwriting with other band responsibilities?
Yes. One quote recalls that in the early years of Static-X, a pattern emerged where the speaker spent all free time writing songs for the band, while the other guys spent their free time working on other things. It's a glimpse into how creative labor can be divided unevenly within a group. For more quotes on consistent habits, see Always quotes.
What different sides of "writing" does this page cover?
Early comedic influences, honest advice about writing versus publishing, the drive to avoid repetitive songwriting, and the reality of who does the writing work within a band. For more on the reading side of writing, see Book quotes.

A band's account of pushing past repetition into new territory sits alongside a memory of writing songs alone while bandmates focused elsewhere. Continue with Good or Always.