Advice from Legendary Authors

These tips are exactly NaNoWriMo related but they are great tips for becoming a writer in general. I hope you find them helpful.

"It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction." — Jonathan Franzen

"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov

"Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money." — Jonathan Franzen

"Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." — Neil Gaiman

“The first draft of everything is shit.” -Ernest Hemingway

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” — George Orwell

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that.” – Stephen King

“If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.” – William Zinsser

“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.” – Kurt Vonnegut

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” – Mark Twain

“Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously.” – Lev Grossman

“Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that – but you are the only you.” ― Neil Gaiman

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” ― Maya Angelou