25 quotes to inspire the writer in you

Writing can be difficult business. It is usually a solitary endeavor that requires us to pull our creative energy from our own mind, heart and spirit. There have been times when I have sat and stared at the empty page for oh so long, wondering where I will find the inspiration to write something that means anything at all. Many times I want to just shut down the computer, or close the notebook, go watch television and forget about it until tomorrow. But I know that writing every day is what keeps my mind on my writing. Even if all I can start with is, “I have no idea what I will write about today,” it helps me take the first step to putting some free flowing thoughts down. After all, as Confucious said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” We writers can insert our own take on that wisdom, as such: “A story of a thousand words begins with the first word.”

Many famous writers and authors have written some pretty inspiring quotations about writing – their love for it, their disdain for it, how it commands their respect and awe, and how no matter what twists and turns come about in their lives, they are always pulled back to their passion to write.

As I am a sucker for good quotes, herewith are some about writing that struck a chord with me:

1. “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
2. “Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped.” ~ Lillian Hellman
3. “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” ~ Gene Fowler
4. “You fail only if you stop writing.” ~ Ray Bradbury
5. “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” ~ Thomas Mann
6. “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” ~ E.L. Doctorow
7. “Writing is one of the few professions in which you can psychoanalyze yourself, get rid of hostilities and frustrations in public, and get paid for it.”  ~ Octavia Butler
8. “Whether or not you write well, write bravely.”  ~ Bill Stout
9. “Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.”  ~ Olin Miller
10. “There’s nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”  ~ Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith
11. “The wastebasket is a writer’s best friend.”  ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer
12. “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”  ~ William Wordsworth
13. “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”  ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
14. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”  ~ Mark Twain
15. “It is impossible to discourage the real writers – they don’t give a damn what you say, they’re going to write.” ~ Sinclair Lewis
16. “If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it – I might be writing in my dreams.”  ~ Terri Guillemets
17. “Being an author is having angels whisper in your ear – and devils, too.”  ~ Graycie Harmon
18. “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of 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
19. “It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.”  ~ Robert Benchley
20. “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”  ~ Mother Teresa
21. “My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.” ~ Anais Nin
22. “Every writer I know has trouble writing.”  ~ Joseph Heller
23. “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
24. “Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.”  ~ Lawrence Kasdan
25. “Becoming a writer means being creative enough to find the time and the place in your life for writing.” ~ Heather Sellers

Since I too am always looking for new inspiration, I’d love to hear any other quotes that you might know.  Please feel free to comment! As always, thanks for visiting.