writing quotes Archives - Andrew Blackman

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

“The author of genius does keep til his last breath the spontaneity, the ready sensitiveness, of a child, the “innocence of eye” that means so much to a painter, the ability to respond freshly and quickly to new scenes, and…

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

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 Guardian,…

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

Trust your reader. Not everything needs to be explained. If you really know something, and breathe life into it, they’ll know it too. Esther Freud The Guardian, Feb 2010

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

You see more sitting still than chasing after. Jonathan Franzen The Guardian, Feb 2010

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

Remember, if you sit at your desk for 15 or 20 years, every day, not counting weekends, it changes you. It just does. It may not improve your temper, but it fixes something else. It makes you more free. –…

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

Have regrets. They are fuel. On the page they flare into desire. Geoff Dyer The Guardian, Feb 2010

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk. – Helen Dunmore The Guardian, Feb 2010

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

Be kind to yourself. Fill pages as quickly as possible; double space, or write on every second line. Regard every new page as a small triumph. – Roddy Doyle The Guardian, Feb 2010

Thinking

Monday morning inspiration

Don’t sit down in the middle of the woods. If you’re lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. And/or change the person. Change the tense. Change the opening…