E. L. Doctorow Quotes

Kids think you just sit down and start writing. I always tell them you never do that.

Writing is hard. I mean, I sit there and work at it.

The writing process, it's too mysterious to try and describe.

Writing is hard - writing is the hardest.

I'm not a good writer. It takes me a long time to get there. I write and then rewrite and revise and do it over and over until I'm satisfied.

The writing process for me is pretty much always the same - it's a solitary experience.

My writing process hasn't changed - it's is the same whether I'm working on a Y.A. novel or, as now, a new novel for adults. A lot of reading, a lot of research if the subject warrants it, a lot of sticky notes and scraps of paper - and get to work.

The research is the easiest. The outline is the most fun. The first draft is the hardest, because every word of the outline has to be fleshed out. The rewrite is very satisfying.

You become a great writer by writing.

Re-writing is different from writing. Original writing is very difficult.

Writing is not an unknown territory for me.

Well, I'm a writer by nature, and I got a little bit - a little taste of a daily fast-paced writing job, writing career, and I loved it.

I write 1,000-1,500 words. The next day, I rewrite it and add 1,000-1,500 words to the end of it.

I have to always remember, writing is really hard.

Unfortunately, there's still a lot of beginning writers who think you can just write your first draft and hand it in.

The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea.

Don't write outlines; I hate outlines.

The process of composition, messing around with paragraphs and trying to make really good prose, is hardwired into my personality.

The problem is once you've written the opening paragraph and worked out how the rest of the story will go in your head, there's nothing in it for you. I write in longhand using disposable fountain pens on the right-hand side of the notebook for the first draft, then I rewrite some of the sentences and paragraphs on the left-hand side.

I like to have a title before I start writing.

No, I have to really focus, especially when I'm writing because I wanna be good at it.

I am a hopeless pantser, so I don't do much outlining. A thought will occur to me, and I'll just throw it into the story. I tell myself I'll worry about untangling it later. I'm glad no one sees my first drafts except for my poor editor and agent.

Some writers sit down without a thought of what they are going to say, and they go through draft after draft.

Outlining is like putting on training wheels. It gives me the courage to write, but we always go off the outline.

Headline writing is an art form.