Top 10 Writing Quotes by Famous Female Writers

I collect quotes from writers about writing because they inspire me. Sometimes a short sentence or fragment on writing is enough get my pen to paper (or my fingers to keyboard). Here’s a short list of inspiring quotes on writing by some of the western world’s most famous female writers. Enjoy!

10. A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction. Virginia Woolf

9. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

9. I ask questions. I watch the world. And what I have discovered is that the parts of my fiction that people most tell me are 'unbelievable' are those that are most closely based on the real, those least diluted by my imagination. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

8. Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone. Amy Tan

7. For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest external horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives. Audre Lorde

6. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. Maya Angelou

5. If there’s a book you want to read, and it hasn't been written yet, you must write it. Toni Morrison

4. I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before delving [her] talent, [she] would be wise to develop a thick hide. Harper Lee

1. Margaret Atwood

3. Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird. Anne Lamott

2. If you’re going to write a good book, you have to make mistakes and you have to not be so cautious all the time. Zadie Smith

1. Writing down a story is always a gesture of hope. Why? Because you are assuming there will be someone alive who will be interested in it and who will read it later in time. That’s a truly hopeful thing. Margaret Atwood

What are some of your favorite inspiring quotes on writing by female writers?

By: Anne Greenawalt, writer and writing instructor

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2 comments 'Quotes on Writing', Anne Greenawalt, female writers, Inspiration

Friday Speak Out!: What Veteran Writers Know, Guest Post by Rochelle Melander

Hold onto your keyboards, people. I’m about to reveal the secrets of veteran writers. Once you know these, you’ll have no more excuses. You will have to write that report or book or article. So, read on at your own risk. Oh, and readers, if reading this article wrecks the calm state of your non-writing life by hauling you out of bed at five every morning to write, well: I don’t want to hear about it. I warned you.

1. You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
—Jack London.

I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every writer who said something like, “I’ve got plans for a big book. I’m just waiting to be inspired to write it.” I only get inspired to eat chocolate and drink wine. I don’t get inspired to write or exercise. NEVER. Inspiration happens when I’m writing. Go and do likewise.

2. Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed.
—Ray Bradbury

A bookseller once said to me, “I don’t think you have an unpublished thought.” He was wrong. I have tons of unpublished thoughts. I also have an attic stacked with boxes of unpublished manuscripts. Writers write a lot. Not everything gets published. Nor should it. But the key to this lesson is this: your writing gets better with practice. So keep at it.

3. Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.
—Barbara Kingsolver

Many writers are doomed by the fear of what others will think or say about their writing. They don’t want to offend their family, their colleagues or their old English teacher. If you’re going to write anything worth reading, you need to write what you think. Lots of people can write but no one else brings your particular set of experience, education, and imagination. Stop worrying and write what you want to read.

4. The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.
—John Steinbeck

So it’s a beautiful fall day, maybe the last before winter starts, and you’re crouched over your laptop at the local coffee shop writing about the mating behaviors of turtles. You keep your butt in the chair by believing that someone’s life will be bettered by knowing this information, and you are the one to deliver it. Believe me, writers—you need the kind of blind faith and tenacity Steinbeck talks about to finish writing anything. Believe in yourself and what you have to offer the world.

5. I can't write five words but that I change seven.
—Dorothy Parker

Veteran writers rewrite. They take a look at their precious words and their favorite phrases, and they slash the ones that don’t work. If you’re going to write well, you need to learn that the first draft is only the beginning.

Okay, readers. Now it is your turn. Go out and write.

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Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author, a certified professional coach, and a popular speaker. Melander has written ten books including Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It). As the Write Now! Coach, she teaches professionals how to write fast, get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of social media. Get your free subscription to her Write Now! Tips Ezine at http://www.writenowcoach.com and sign up to be a member of her Write Now! Mastermind class for professionals at http://www.writenowmastermind.com.

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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4 comments 'Quotes on Writing', Friday Speak Out, Rochelle Melander, writer inspiration

Surviving The Ups and Downs of Being a Writer

Jayne Ann Krentz/photo by Marc Von Borstel

Last weekend, I spoke to a group of writers about the six plus one traits of writing and how to use these to improve their rough drafts and writing in general. The theme of the talk was basically everything they needed to know about writing they already learned in elementary school, or at least what we are teaching in elementary schools today--which is often the six traits. Anyway, one of the traits is voice--developing voice and writing with a distinct voice, and I was looking for a quote to kind of wrap up my talk and leave them with some inspiration as well as tie in something I talked about. And lo and behold, I found the quote below by the prolific romance writer, Jayne Ann Krentz.

"Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be times in this business when you will be the only one who does. Take heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong, distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous. But in the end, only the strong survive."
                                                              - Jayne Ann Krentz

I just love this quote, and I thought it was a perfect way to end a writing workshop, where I was trying to inspire people to write and have faith in their work and their careers in the new year. It is so easy to get down as a writer: rejection letters, no time to write, bad reviews, blog posts with no comments, harsh critiques, poor sales, and so on. But the beginning of this quote is so true and what we have to do. WE HAVE TO--believe in ourselves! We have to have faith in our voice and in our work. We cannot give up. We have to get up the next morning and keep sending out manuscripts or write another blog post or send our book to another reviewer.

This business is so subjective--you'll realize that if you ever send a query letter out or a magazine submission to multiple editors. You can send out the same thing to twenty places--you'll get yeses, nos, and no response. It doesn't mean one editor is more right than another (although we want to think that!) ; there are many reasons for rejections and acceptances. But through it all, you have to believe in yourself and your work--because you are your best advocate! You are the one that sits down to the keyboard and types and creates. You are the only one with your voice. So keep writing--through the ups and downs, and you will survive!

Margo L. Dill is the author of the middle-grade (ages 9 to 12) historical fiction novel, Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg. She also teaches in the WOW! classroom--mostly about writing for children. Her next class starts in the beginning of March.

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8 comments 'Quotes on Writing', dealing with rejection, Margo L. Dill, writer's voice, writing inspiration

The WOW Story—Where Should a Writer Start?

The WOW story, novel, blog or article takes preparation in the form of research, investigation and on-hands knowledge. Writing is hard work but writing that very special bit of prose is excruciating. The writer needs to draw deep within and string words together perfectly in order to come up with the WOW story.

An excerpt from Donald Maass' book WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL tells us: "A truly big book is a perfect blend of inspired premise, larger-than-life characters, high-stakes story, deeply felt themes, vivid setting and much more."  Big equals popularity and success.  

Where should a writer start?

1.     Answer the question why does this story, novel, blog or article need written. 

·        To persuade

·        To inform

·        To explain

·        To entertain

·        To Share

2.     Answer the question what style to use.

·        Witty

·        Bold

·        Serious

·        Warm

·        Business

·        Combination of one or more

3.     Answer the question where will this be read or in what context.

·        Online

·        Snuggled in bed

·        Book Club

·        In a doctor's office

4.     Answer the question who will read the material.

·        Man, woman or child

·        Age bracket

·        Specific target group

·        Public

5.     Answer the question when will this story, novel, blog or article go public.

·        Right away

·        Time sensitive

·        Relative forever

6.     Answer the question how to add interest, fun, joy or deep emotion.  Try these exercises:

Describe a room so messy that the occupant has disappeared into the mess. What’s cluttering the room in detail and tell about the room’s owner and how he or she got into this predicament. Tell what happens to the room’s occupant over time. Does he or she ever get out?

Chose a color, go for a walk and then write about everything you see on the walk that is that color, or everything that reminds you of that color. This is a great early morning exercise for the body and mind.

When writing the WOW story start with the above questions and then add more layers. 


It is said, "Write what you love." I say, "Write what you love to research." Research is a key element in writing. Even if the subject is familiar, research will reveal different aspects or facets to add to the prose.  

Sources: 

Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel

Cher'ley Grogg, quote, "Write what you love to research."

Exercises adapted from Edu Guide

Girl Reading Photo by Anna Theodora http://www.flickr.com/photos/annatheodora/2775643078/
Frog Photo by Doug 8888 *http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/4581541909/
Yellow Toadstool photo by Cher'ley Grogg

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5 comments 'Quotes on Writing', Answers, Cher'ley Grogg, craft of writing, Donald Maass, exercise of mind and body, how, know what you write, questions, when, where, who

Why Should I Read This Blog?

You ask yourself, "Why should I read this blog?  I think a quote from an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic and literary critic says it best. "I want stories to startle and engage me within the first few sentences, and in their middle to widen or deepen or sharpen my knowledge of human activity, and to end by giving me a sensation of completed statement." -John Updike-.

A blog should be similar to a story, it needs to inform, entertain or deepen. These simple tips should help.

·         Don’t use big words

·         Be an artist

·         Power in the written work 

1. Don't use big words and long sentences to show the readers how smart you are. They will soon tire of opening the dictionary continually. The reader (tongue in cheek) may say, "I'm reading a story (blog, novel, article, or essay) and the dictionary at the same time."
2. Writers are artists. The painter uses a brush, the photographer uses a camera, the woodcarver uses a knife, and the writer uses the keyboard to create something from nothing, to breath life into their work. 
3. Writers have a lot of power in their fingertips. The written word is very powerful it can entertain, inspire, anger and educate. The written word changes lives. 

Writers possess an acute sense of awareness and a vivid, colorful imagination. Use these qualities often and use them well. Always think of your audience when writing. Reach out to them-- touch them in some way--evoke a reaction.

Have fun and strengthen your descriptions with this writing exercise from About.com Creative Writing. Choose from one of three scenarios: Describe a landscape as seen by an old woman whose horrible old husband has just died, describe a lake as seen by a young man who has just murdered someone, or describe a landscape as seen by a bird.

Leave your scenario in the comments.

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2 comments 'Quotes on Writing', blog, Cherley Grogg, creative artists, creative writing, easy, exercise, learning from mistakes, little words

A Quote A Day Brings Inspiration Your Way

By Jill Earl

Found a very interesting blog a few days ago, ‘Quotes on Writing’, created by writer Jim Harrington. Each post begins with a favorite quote of his, then addresses a specific writing topic that he’s used to help him grow as a writer.

Mr Harrington stated in a sidebar on his blog, “My purpose in writing this blog is to clarify in my own mind some of these topics and, hopefully, to stimulate the reader to do the same.” He pulls those quotes from resources such as articles, other websites and books.

In my opinion, he’s accomplished his goal. In the short time I’ve been checking out the blog, I’ve been stimulated by his thoughts and inspired by the quote on a specific day’s topic.

For instance, a quote from Kay Marie Porterfield’s article, ‘10 Reasons to Write Flash Fiction’ is the stepping-off point for the January 14th post, ‘Curing Prosaic Diarrhea’. Here, Mr. Harrington discusses how writing flash fiction helped him write in a concise manner, and he also offers tips to get started. I’ve already bookmarked that particular post for future reference.

Interested? Take a look for yourself at: http://quotesonwriting.blogspot.com/

And let some quotes a day bring some writing inspiration your way.

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2 comments 'Quotes on Writing', Jill Earl, Jim Harrington, writing, writing inspiration, writing resources