Joshua Ferris Quotes

I never think at all when I write. Nobody can do two things at the same time and do them both well.

Although I've made notes for things and even written synopses sitting in trains or on park benches, for the complete composition of things I need absolute solitude, preferably an empty house.

The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention.

I should be concentrating on writing pages.

I write with pen and paper, my first draft, on legal pads.

I never, ever drink while writing. Never have from the start, and I'm happy that I never have to. A lot of my stuff is plot-driven and mathematical, and I think you need a clean and sober mind to pin down the logistics of that.

I write with my brain. I don't need a computer.

I don't need music to write, but sometimes I put music on. I don't need special clothes or even my own equipment.

I have these huge black foam boards on the wall, and tacked to them, I have these white punch cards with my story ideas, scenes and notes.

I like the process of pencil and paper as opposed to a machine. I think the writing is better when it's done in handwriting.

I can write all the way through the morning, when my mind is clear, and there are no distractions.

There's something special about writing by hand, writing with a fountain pen, and there's something special about writing into a book, to take a blank book and turn it into an actual book.

Having imagination it takes you an hour to write a paragraph that if you were unimaginative would take you only a minute.

When you're writing fiction or poetry... it really comes down to this: indifference to everything except what you're doing... A young writer could do worse than follow the advice given in those lines.

I write stuff down. I have a chalkboard in the kitchen where I will scrawl stuff down if I have a faint outline of an idea. And I'll go into my office or whatever. But that goes from format to format.

I am in total silence when I write - I don't even like the sound of the dryer going - I like the quiet.

I write longhand on legal pads, about half at home and half in cafes. I drink a lot of water and eat a lot of raw carrots.

I try to stay focused on my creativity.

You can write any time people will leave you alone and not interrupt you. Or, rather, you can if you will be ruthless enough about it. But the best writing is certainly when you are in love.

I don't listen to music when I'm writing, but I often do when I'm reworking, editing or when I need to relax.

Successful writers say you should never work from a desk with a view, and the view I have from this one is a huge distraction. There's a garden bursting with fresh vegetation, and just beyond the high wall at the end of it, I can see the sign of the local pub across the road. Distractions, eh? I'm so easily led.

Sometimes I write with music on, and if I'm in a good flow, I don't even hear it.

Some of the best writing I've done, whether I'm shooting a story or thinking of a script, I write it in my head as I'm running. Running literally jogs my brain.

My writing process is a mix of research, personal experiences, washing the dishes, raising kids while thinking - then writing.

I like the busy-ness of office life. What I discovered, to my surprise, is that I love the solitary nature of writing. What happens is that you write when you're ready.