Every writer, whether aspiring or experienced, seeks guidance on crafting compelling narratives. What better way to find inspiration than through the wisdom of those who have profoundly impacted literature? This article compiles invaluable writing tips from famous writers, offering a treasure trove of how to write advice and insights to refine your writing craft.
1. Stephen King: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
- Source: “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King.
- In this writing tip, Stephen King cautions against the overuse of adverbs, advocating for strong, precise verbs that stand on their own.
2. Ernest Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is shit.”
- Source: Ernest Hemingway, said to Arnold Samuelson, as described in Samuelson’s 1984 memoir.
- Hemingway reminds writers that the process is inherently messy and the first draft is just the beginning.
3. J.K. Rowling: “Sometimes you have to get your writing done in spare moments here and there.”
- Source: J.K. Rowling, unclear when she originally said this, referenced often in numerous articles.
- In this writing tip, Rowling emphasizes the importance of making time to write, even in the busiest schedules.
4. Mark Twain: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- Source: “The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain: A Book of Quotations”
- Twain highlights the power of choosing the exact word to convey the intended meaning and emotion.
5. Anaïs Nin: “The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.”
- Source: Anaïs Nin, from The Diary of Anaïs Nin
- Nin emphasizes that writers should express the thoughts and feelings that others find difficult to articulate.
6. Toni Morrison: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
- Source: Toni Morrison, 1981 speech to the Ohio Arts Council
- Morrison encourages writers to fill the voids they perceive in literature with their own creations, pushing the boundaries of storytelling.
7. George Orwell: “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.”
- Source: George Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” (1946).
- In his advice on how to write, Orwell advocates for simplicity and clarity, emphasizing the importance of brevity.
8. Maya Angelou: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
- Source: Maya Angelou’s book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1969).
- Angelou highlights the necessity of expression and the importance of giving voice to one’s thoughts and experiences.
9. Ray Bradbury: “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
- Source: Ray Bradbury’s book “Zen in the Art of Writing” (1990).
- In this writing tip, Bradbury encourages writers to immerse themselves in their craft as a form of escapism and a way to make sense of the world.
10. Zadie Smith: “Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.”
- Source: Zadie Smith’s lecture in the “Ten Rules of Writing” series, The Guardian (2010).
- Smith stresses the importance of creating and maintaining a sacred space for your work, free from distractions and interruptions.
11. Brenda Ueland: “Let her go! Be careless! Be reckless! Be a lion! Be a pirate! Write any old way. “
- Source: Brenda Ueland’s “If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit” (1938).
- In this writing tip, Brenda Ueland encourages writers to be free and bold, without concern for rules or judgment.
12. Anne Lamott: “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft—you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft—you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it’s loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy.”
- Source: Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” (1994).
- Lamott reassures writers that the process is iterative and that initial drafts are merely the starting point for refinement and discovery.
13. Linda Trichter Metcalf: “If you practice proprioceptive writing, you’ll develop an awareness of the sound of your thinking. You’ll begin to imagine your thoughts as a persona with a voice.”
- Linda Trichter Metcalf, “Writing the Mind Alive” by Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon.
- The proprioceptive method teaches that writing can be a tool for self-exploration and understanding, highlighting the introspective power of putting thoughts into words.
14. Kazuo Ishiguro: “Most writers have certain things that they decide quite consciously, and other things they decide less consciously. In my case, the choice of narrator and setting are deliberate. You do have to choose a setting with great care, because with a setting come all kinds of emotional and historical reverberations. But I leave quite a large area for improvisation after that.”
- Source: Kazuo Ishiguro, from an interview with The Paris Review.
- Ishiguro highlights the importance of deliberate choices in narrator and setting for their emotional and historical impact, while also embracing improvisation.
15. Margaret Atwood: “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
- Source: Margaret Atwood’s commentary on her writing process.
- Atwood addresses the paralyzing pursuit of perfection, advocating for action and progress over flawless execution.
16. C.S. Lewis: “You must write for children in the same way as you do for adults, only better.”
- Source: “On Writing (and Writers)” by C.S. Lewis.
- In this compilation of Lewis’s reflections on writing, he emphasizes the need for respect, clarity, and depth when writing for children, advocating for a level of quality that does not underestimate the audience’s intelligence or emotional depth.
17. William Zinsser: “Simplify, simplify.”
- Source: William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” (1976).
- Zinsser’s cornerstone advice emphasizes the importance of clarity and brevity. He advocates for stripping away unnecessary words to reveal the clean, strong structure beneath.
18. Natalie Goldberg: “Keep your hand moving.”
- Source: Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within” (1986).
- In her advice on how to write, Goldberg encourages writers to maintain momentum and flow, suggesting that continuous writing can break down barriers of self-criticism and fear.
19. Ernest Hemingway: “Write hard and clear about what hurts.”
- Often attributed to Hemingway, this advice captures his approach to writing about significant, personal truths with simplicity and power.
- Hemingway’s work exemplifies the strength of direct, unadorned prose in conveying deep emotional and existential themes.
20. Joan Didion: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
- Source: Joan Didion’s “The White Album” (1979).
- Didion reflects on the narrative nature of human existence and the role of writing in making sense of the world around us. Her work underscores the power of storytelling in constructing reality and identity.
21. Neil Gaiman: “The main rule of writing is that, if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like.”
- Source: Neil Gaiman, online journal, June 2004
- Gaiman asserts that confidence grants the freedom to break conventions and explore creativity without limits.
22. John Steinbeck: “Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished you are always surprised.”
- Source: John Steinbeck, from the Fall 1975 issue of The Paris Review
- In this writing tip, Steinbeck’s advice is about focusing on the process rather than the overwhelming goal of completing a manuscript, making the task of writing more approachable and manageable.
23. Anton Chekhov: “In descriptions of Nature one must seize on small details, grouping them so that when the reader closes his eyes he gets a picture. For instance, you’ll have a moonlit night if you write that on the mill dam a piece of glass from a broken bottle glittered like a bright little star, and that the black shadow of a dog or a wolf rolled past like a ball.”
- Anton Chekhov, letter to his brother. “The Unknown Chekhov: Stories and Other Writings Hitherto Untranslated by Anton Chekhov.
- Chekhov’s quote emphasizes subtlety, nuance, and the power of detail, and in particular, he advices to show, don’t tell.
24. Edgar Allan Poe: “Nothing is more clear than that every plot, worth the name, must be elaborated to its dénouement before any thing be attempted with the pen. It is only with the dénouement constantly in view that we can give a plot its indispensable air of consequence, or causation, by making the incidents, and especially the tone at all points, tend to the development of the intention.”
- Source: Edgar Allen Poe, essay: “The Philosophy of Composition, published in Graham’s Magazine (1846).
- Poe believed in the importance of coherence and unity in creating a powerful emotional effect in short stories, with every element contributing to the overall mood and impact.
25. Ray Bradbury: “You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads.”
- Source: Ray Bradbury, advice commonly attributed to Bradbury.
- In his passionate advice on how to write, Bradbury emphasizes the importance of daily writing practice, immersion in literature, and a voracious appetite for reading as foundational to a writer’s life.
26. Charles Bukowski: “Writing about writer’s block is better than not writing at all.”
- Source: Charles Bukowski, often attributed based on his various articles, essays, and interviews.
- Bukowski, known for his raw, unfiltered approach to writing, suggests that even in the throes of writer’s block, the act of writing itself—about anything, even the block—is valuable. This advice underscores his belief in the importance of persistence and the power of maintaining a writing habit, no matter the circumstances. Bukowski’s work often reflects a gritty, uncompromising view of life, and his advice to writers is no less straightforward: keep going, regardless of the obstacles.
27. Kurt Vonnegut: “Start as close to the end as possible.”
- Source: Kurt Vonnegut’s “8 Basics of Creative Writing” from Bagombo Snuff Box.
- Vonnegut advises writers to get to the heart of the story quickly, emphasizing efficiency in storytelling and the importance of keeping the reader engaged by focusing on essential narrative elements.
28. Jodi Picoult: “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
- Jodi Picoult, often quoted advice attributed to Picoult.
- Picoult encourages writers to overcome perfectionism and fear of failure by reminding them that the act of writing—regardless of initial quality—is the first step toward improvement and eventual success.
29. William Faulkner: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”
- Source: Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1913-1914 Cambridge lectures “On the Art of Writing.”
- Faulkner’s writing tip underscores the tough choices writers must make for the greater good of their work, advocating for disciplined editing to ensure the narrative’s integrity.
30. Colum McCann: “Do not write what you know, write toward what you want to know.”
- Source: Colum McCann’s “Letters to a Young Writer,” a book filled with practical and philosophical advice for budding authors.
- McCann challenges the traditional advice of writing only about familiar subjects, encouraging writers to explore, investigate, and learn through the process itself.
31. Celia Hunt: “I encourage students to use their autobiographical material as a trigger for the imagination, rather than trying to encapsulate the ‘truth’ of the past. This involves a willingness to blur the edges of their experience, to let it go slightly out of focus, so that the end product becomes something quite other than the original, yet still retains the essence of it.”
- Source: Celia Hunt, Therapeutic Dimensions of Autobiography in Creative Writing
- In her book, Hunt emphasizes that creative writing isn’t just an artistic endeavor but a means to explore and understand one’s inner world, promoting personal growth and self-awareness.
32. James Pennebaker: “Try to approach writing as a method to better understand some topic that is weighing upon you.”
- Source: James Pennebaker, Therapist Uncensored Podcast 225
- In his pioneering research on “expressive writing”Pennebaker highlights the cognitive and emotional balance it can bring, facilitating a unique state where analytical thinking and emotional expression coalesce, fostering healing.
33. Susan Zimmerman: “Write! Just write! Silence the inner critic that tells you you aren’t a “good enough” writer, or that your words aren’t worthy. You may take may detours or go off on side roads. The journey allows different routes to the destination. There are no wrong turns.”
- Source: Susan Zimmermann, “Writing to Heal the Soul”
- In her advice on how to write freely, Zimmermann suggests that writing provides a reflective space for introspection, allowing individuals to converse with their inner selves, confront emotions, and clarify their thoughts.
34. Mary Oliver: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
- Source: Often cited as Mary Oliver’s informal advice on writing and observation.
- Oliver’s simple yet profound guidance encapsulates her approach to poetry and life: observe the world with wonder, immerse yourself in the beauty and mystery of the present moment, and share your awe and discoveries through writing.
35. Virginia Woolf: “Arrange whatever pieces come your way.”
- Source: Virginia Woolf, “A Writer’s Diary”
- This writing tip encourages writers to make use of whatever material, experiences, or ideas they have, crafting their narratives from the array of life’s offerings.
36. Ernest Hemingway: “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.”
- Ernest Hemingway, The Paris Review: Interviews Vol. 1.
- This candid advice from Hemingway underscores the importance of honesty and integrity, suggesting writers should have the ability to critique their own work critically.
37. George Orwell: “Good prose is like a windowpane.”
- George Orwell, “Why I Write”
- Orwell advocates for clarity and simplicity, suggesting that good writing should offer clear vision and understanding, unobscured by the glass of the windowpane.
38. Emily Dickinson: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant —.”
- Emily Dickinson, from her poem of the same name (1263).
- Dickinson advises on the complexity of conveying truth, suggesting that indirect or slanted approaches can be more effective in revealing deep truths.
39. Leo Tolstoy: “If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the [people] of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.”
- Leo Tolstoy, “Essays, Letters and Miscellanies”
- Leo Tolstoy advises taking a moment to pause and reflect on one’s surroundings and the state of being, emphasizing the value of mindfulness and contemplation in a busy world.
41. William Wordsworth: “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
- William Wordsworth, “The Prelude”
- In this writing tip, a favourite of our editor-in-chief, Wordsworth encourages writers to imbue their work with personal emotion and depth, reflecting the Romantic era’s emphasis on individual expression and the sublime.
42. Henry David Thoreau: “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
- From Thoreau’s journals, 1851
- Rich and authentic writing comes from direct experience and engagement with life.
43. Jane Austen: “I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on till I am.”
- Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister Cassandra.
- Austen reflects on the discipline required, persevering even when not initially feeling inclined.
44. Anton Chekhov: “Show, don’t tell.”
- Chekhov is often associated with this foundational piece of advice.
- This quote emphasizes the importance of demonstration through action and sensory details rather than exposition.
45. Wilkie Collin’s: “Make ’em laugh, make ’em cry, make ’em wait”
- Made famous by Wilkie Colllins, often ascribed to Dickens in various forms, origins unclear.
- This writing tip highlights the importance of engaging readers’ emotions and creating suspense to keep them invested in the narrative.
46. Edgar Allan Poe: “I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty.”
- Edgar’s Allen Poe, Essay: “The Poetic Principle”
- Poe’s definition of poetry emphasizes the importance of rhythm and beauty, principles that extend beyond poetry to all forms of creative writing.
47. Walt Whitman: “Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.”
- Walt Whitman, Poem: “Song of Myself, 48”
- Whitman inspires writers to maintain their composure and confidence in the face of the vastness of ideas and experiences available for exploration.
48. Herman Melville: “To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.”
- Herman Melvillle, “Moby Dick or, The Whale”
- Melville, known for the epic “Moby-Dick,” underscores the importance of choosing significant and substantial themes to imbue one’s work with depth and gravitas.
49. Jack London: “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
- Jack London (2015). “Jack London on Adventure: Words of Wisdom from an Expert Adventurer.”
- In his advice on how to write well, London suggests that instead of passively waiting for inspiration, one must actively pursue it with determination.
50. Virginia Woolf: “The way to rock oneself back into writing is this. First gentle exercise in the air. Second the reading of good literature.”
- Source: Virginia Woolf, “A Writer’s Diary”
- In this writing tip, Woolf recommends rejuvenating one’s writing through physical activity and engaging with high-quality literature.
These writing tips reflect the diverse approaches to writing, from the practicalities of the craft to the emotional and psychological aspects of storytelling. Each author’s advice springs from their unique experiences and perspectives, offering both inspiration and guidance to writers at any stage of their journey.
Meanwhile, at Dreamers…
Dreamers Writing Prompt Generator
Experience the power of simplicity with our unique writing prompt generator. Designed for writers who crave spontaneity and surprise, our tool delivers one meticulously crafted prompt at a time.
Top 25 Most Popular Manga Right Now
If you’re searching for the most popular Manga right now, this top 25 list is the ideal starting point, whether a beginner or enthusiast.