Bonnie Jo Campbell Quotes

I teach classes 28 weeks of the year, but the rest of the time I do research and write books. While I'm writing a book, which I probably do two out of every three years, it's like having a second job. I squeeze in the hours when I can.

I'm sure other writers have no difficulties writing nice.

I work daily, but not always on comics. I'm doing quite a bit of writing now, and I teach as well.

Try to meet as many authors, agents, and editors as you can.

You know there's a problem [with the education system] when you realize that out of the three R’s, only one begins with an R.

My favorite aspect of being an author has always been visiting different communities and meeting my readers face to face.

I won't write a book. I haven't got a magnum opus in me.

At the end of the day, I'm a very boring academic, bogged down with academia and structure and delivering an education.

As authors, we know that it is very difficult to unleash one's creativity.

Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas. Fill the lacunae of inspiration by tidily copying out what is already written.

The first book is the book you have to write to get back at your parents; the book you always had in you. Once you get that out of your way, you can start writing books.

I think you should learn about writing from everybody who has ever written that has anything to teach you

I am not in touch with other writers. I don't have very much contact with other writers. I don't get invited to these things or I don't go to them. I hate panels. I speak to librarians and to conferences of English teachers. That's what I do: teachers and librarians. And high school kids.

You can't write the same book twice. Though I've been in historical musical situations, I can't go back and do that again. And though I run into artistic crises, they keep my life interesting.

I could have been, and may one day well be a high school English teacher, because I've been given so much I just feel like I have to give something back. The fact that some people consider my work to be good or strong, it's nice, but I know in my heart that if it's not coming - oftentimes it's probably not coming from the best place.

Yeah, well, we're all writers, aren't we? He's a writer that hasn't been published, and I'm a writer who hasn't written anything.

Looking back on a 30-year teaching career full of rewards and prizes, somehow I can't completely believe that I spent my time on earth institutionalized; I can't believe that centralized schooling is allowed to exist at all as a gigantic indoctrination and sorting machine, robbing people of their children. Did it really happen? Was this my life? God help me.

One of the easiest things in the world is not to write... If it were easy, everyone would do it.

It takes an awful lot of time to not write a book.

Writing is the main gig and teaching and performing are sidelines, an excuse for not writing more. Working on a novel and on an opera make me seriously want to retire and find a volunteer job as a docent at the zoo explaining to schoolchildren where frogs go in the winter.

When I want to read something nice, I sit down and write it myself.

The novel is very much alive, indeed. In Toronto at the Sixth Annual International Festival of Authors (October 1985) I listened to novelists by the dozen.

So perhaps the best thing to do is to stop writing Introductions and get on with the book.

I never get sick of writing my own stories because there's a certain comfort in knowing you will never run out of material. It's relaxing, actually, to write.

I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I feel about the issues of the day, but I guess I don't want to write essays in my head about my craft and maybe it's because I teach and talk about craft of other writers as a reader. I feel the moment I start doing that is when it's going to kill me.