I know writing is about coming up with your own words, but hey! Sometimes I like to borrow other people’s words, especially good writing quotes.
They inspire me, they give me hope, and they make me feel like a better writer. I love saving them for a day when I’m feeling too down to write, and maybe you do too. So here’s some for a rainy day.
“Fill your life with love and joy and pain. Then fill your books with each of them. All creative acts are acts of love, and vice-versa. Fill your books with love and the act of creation comes easily.”
-Christopher Jory
I think this quote from the author of The Art of Waiting reminds that life, even when it’s tough, provides us the fuel we need to write. Living to our fullest won’t distract us from writing, but give us writers the material we need to do our job. It also reminds that creativity, and most of all writing, springs from love: our love of people and our love of writing.
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”
-Neil Gaiman
This quote from legendary author Neil Gaiman reminds us that writing is a simple act (yet also very hard). But if you’re feeling unable to write, you need to remember writing is just a few keystrokes away. Find the strength to put words together, and you’ve got it.
“Be an unstoppable force. Write with an imaginary machete strapped to your thigh. This is not wishy-washy, polite, drinking-tea-with-your-pinkie-sticking-out stuff. It’s who you want to be, your most powerful self. Write your books. Finish them, then make them better. Find the way. No one will make this dream come true for you but you.”
-Laini Taylor
Taylor (who wrote the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy) is right. Writing means telling bold truths. It means fighting for our beliefs. It means making our visions come true. And we’ve got to do it, for ourselves.
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
-Stephen King
I’m not sure a list of writing quotes would be complete without a quote from Stephen King’s book, On Writing. This quote reminds why we write. Even if your work’s not getting published, you’re not getting paid, and nobody knows your name (yet), there’s still a reason you write. To make happy readers and yourself a happy writer.
“You can feel good about failure. Failure means you did something. You finished the story even if it wasn’t what you’d hoped. Failure means you’re learning. Growing. Doing.”
-Chuck Wendig
Wendig, the author of The Kick-Ass Writer, has a lot of good advice. But this particular advice is great for the writer who feels like they have just failed their story. But it’s not true. Failure is just a step on the path to success, and that means you’re one step closer. A failed manuscript is a precursor to a great one.
“Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It’s one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.”
-Nicholas Sparks
The writer of The Notebook has nailed it. The joy you find upon completing a manuscript is like no other. It’s a joy that inspires us to keep writing and writing.
So hopefully, you’re feeling the writing love by now. Good writing quotes always lift me up. Even the best authors struggle, but they learn how to get through and keep writing. And with a little motivation, so can you.
Mint is a writer and digital marketing pro who lives in coastal Virginia with her family and one lovable pitbull. Her passions include helping people and businesses display their best side through the power of communication, buying her dog costumes he doesn’t want to wear, and talking all day about Batman.
