Logo - Feel The Words

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.

Even though I was a reluctant reader in junior high and high school, I found myself writing poems in the back of class.

Quotes by Matt de la Pena

A surprising number of teens I meet in rougher schools around the country find refuge in novels and creative writing. It's not always the usual suspects either, the high achievers.

Quotes by Matt de la Pena

Writing can be fun. I think the challenge is to convey interesting things in accessible ways, and that's what I aim to do in books.

Quotes by Matt Haig

There is certainly no one 'type' of writer who deliberately draws on Shakespeare. In fact, there's a strong argument that everyone writing in the English language is influenced by Shakespeare because, to a considerable degree, he shaped that language.

Quotes by Matt Haig

Like most art forms, writing is part instinct and part craft. The craft part is the part that can be taught, and that can make a crucial difference to lots of writers.

Quotes by Matt Haig

To say that creative writing courses are all useless is almost as silly as saying all editors are useless. Writers of all levels can benefit from other instructive voices.

Quotes by Matt Haig

When I first started, everything happened at once. I became religious, my musical career took off, I got married, I had kids, and all that happened within the course of a year. I had an excitement about this newly found...

Quotes by Matisyahu

Usually, writing lyrics for me is like bleeding drop by drop from the forehead.

Quotes by Matt Berninger

Writing poems is a chance to construct spaces that I want to imaginatively inhabit.

Quotes by Mary Szybist

I worked probably 25 years by myself, just writing and working, not trying to publish much, not giving readings.

Quotes by Mary Oliver

Writers sometimes give up what is most strange and wonderful about their writing - soften their roughest edges - to accommodate themselves toward a group response.

Quotes by Mary Oliver

I have the feeling that a lot of poets writing now are - they sort of tap dance through it.

Quotes by Mary Oliver

I love using my imagination. I love writing about animals.

Quotes by Mary Pope Osborne

With my writing, I can still play inside an enchanted castle or live inside an old fort. I can run from ghosts or ride dolphins any day of the week.

Quotes by Mary Pope Osborne

A vacation for me is when I'm home and I'm writing.

Quotes by Mary Pope Osborne

The only joy I had was writing what was. That book was. It no longer amuses me to be all the things I was when I wrote that. But it is my story as I was then.

Quotes by Mary MacLane

We are writing fiction, but we are trying to create a world that's believable.

Quotes by Mary Kay Andrews

I had never thought about writing a novel. But I had two young kids, and I realized that if I could write a novel, I could work at home.

Quotes by Mary Kay Andrews

For me, writing is just processing.

Quotes by Mary Lambert

I got sober at 27 and started writing around 30 and started playing music in public around 32, 33.

Quotes by Mary Gauthier

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.