Writing quotes

I love writing quotes (quotes about writing, not writing them myself), those pithy phrases that inspire us and make us smile and think. I read some fun ones from author J.A. Konrath on his A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog. He uploaded them on Jan. 24, but I’m a little behind on my blog reading. Click here for his full post — the quotes start about halfway down. Here are my favorites:

There’s a word for a writer who never gives up — published.

This one inspires me and makes me want to dig into my writing.

Praise is like candy. We love it, but it isn’t good for us. You can only improve by being told what’s wrong.

Very true. Thicken your skin, take your writing to a critique group and just listen. Don’t defend your work; just listen. Some of what you hear you won’t agree with, but take it all in and make changes according to what you feel is right.

Anyone looking for you can find you. Get them to find you when they’re looking for something else.

Maybe not necessarily for the not yet published, but for those of us in the market, great advice. Konrath offers advice on how on his blog too.

Write when you can. Finish what you start. Edit what you finish. Submit what you’ve edited. Repeat.

Sounds simple. The only thing I’d change is that, in our busy lifestyles, “write when you can” could mean that you haven’t typed a word in months. If writing is important to you, don’t let that happen. I’d change that beginning part to “Write as much as you can.”

We’re in the same boat. Start rowing.

If you’ve been to a writing critique group, conference, on an online chat board, or anywhere that other writers gather, you know how true this quote is. I’m involved in children’s writing groups, and I can tell you, it’s definitely true. Everyone is friendly and helpful. Everyone wants to help each other. At our critique group, writers come even if they have nothing new to get critiqued. They come just to offer support for other writers. I don’t know if it’s true for other genre groups, but I’d guess it is. Writing is solitary, but you’re not alone.

Check out all of Konrath’s quotes here.

What are your favorite writing quotes?

Write On!

P.S. If you haven’t yet, check out our Community Story — which we all can add to. Thanks to Jamie who added the story’s next sentence in the comments. Click here to see what he wrote and post what you think should come next.