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It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure “A perfect distraction and inspiration, and a collection that begs to be shared. Be warned, though. If you plan to lend out your copy, start out with two. Once it leaves your hands you’ll never see it again.” — Denver Post (on Not Quite What I Was Planning ) The editors of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning are back with its much-anticipated sequel, It All Changed in an Instant. With contributions from acclaimed authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Frank McCourt, Wally ... [Find out more ...]

Some of the best writing tips for writers in the 21st century comes from those who have seen their successes and offer advice from their own experience. These authors keep a sense of humour about themselves and remain personable. Here are some lessons to ponder and remember.

• On Inspiration

If you wait for inspiration, you’re not a writer, but a waiter. – Anonymous

For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. – Ernest Hemingway

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. – Jack London

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. – Joseph Pulitzer

The man, the writer, the instrument of the creation will die, but his creation does not die. – Luigi Pirandello

I know writers who write only when inspiration comes. How would Isaac Stern play if he played the violin only when he felt like it? He would be lousy. – Madeleine L’Engle

Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous “I don’t know.” – Wislawa Szymborska

• On Motivation

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing. – Benjamin Franklin

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. – Cyril Connolly

The desire to write grows with writing. – Desiderius Erasmus

If you wish to be a writer, write. – Epictetus

For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I’m surprised where the journey takes me. – Jack Dann

• On Writer’s Block

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. – Ernest Hemingway

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it an hour when it isn’t expecting it. – H. G. Wells

• On Editing

It is perfectly okay to write garbage — as long as you edit brilliantly. – C. J. Cherryh

Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke. – F. Scott Fitzgerald

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip. – Elmore Leonard

The great art of writing is knowing when to stop. – Josh Billings

As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out. – Mark Twain

The most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do. – Thomas Jefferson

There is but one art, to omit! – Robert Louis Stevenson

When rewriting, move quickly. It’s a little like cutting your own hair. – Robert Stone

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. – William Strunk, Jr.

• On Humour

The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it. – Mark Twain

• On Naming Your Work

The title to a work of writing is like a house’s front porch…. It should invite you to come on in. – Angela Giles Klocke

A good title should be like a good metaphor. It should intrigue without being too baffling or too obvious. – Walker Percy

• On Humility

Young writers should be encouraged to write, and discouraged from thinking they are writers. – Wallace Stegner

Much of the wisdom from these authors may be surprisingly honest and straightforward. However, a lot can be learned from the success and failure of these writers and the inner struggles authors often face.

Critical Companion to James Joyce

The author of such classics as 'Dubliners', 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', 'Ulysses', 'Finnegans Wake', and more, James Joyce is one of the greatest writers of all time. Known for his experimental ... [Find out more ...]

Dave Porter In The Gold Fields

Edward Stratemeyer (1862-1930) was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was an American publisher and writer of books for children. He wrote 150 books himself, and created the most famous of the series books for ... [Find out more ...]

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