On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Between drafts: "How long you let your book rest— sort of like bread dough between kneadings— is entirely up to you, but I think it should be a minimum of six weeks. During this time your manuscript will be safely shut away in a desk drawer, aging and (one hopes) mellowing."

Good ideas appear out of nowhere, from seemingly unrelated concepts coming together and creating a new thought in your head. You can't force this process, your job is to recognize when they show up and take advantage of them.

Life is not a support system for art, art is a support system for life. 

When you first write something, you should write it for yourself. When you rewrite it, write it for everyone else. Take out everything that isn't the story. Once it's out there, you don't own it anymore, everyone else does.

"We are writers, and we never ask one another where we get our ideas; we know we don’t know."

"Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn’t, toss it. Toss it even if you love it. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch once said, “Murder your darlings,” and he was right."

If you’re a beginner, though, let me urge that you take your story through at least two drafts; the one you do with the study door closed and the one you do with it open.

"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. Some of this book— perhaps too much— has been... See more