Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow
Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O'Brien
Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"
A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. ~Baltasar GraciánThe best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie
The road to hell is paved with adverbs. ~Stephen King
No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published. ~Russell Lynes
Being an author is having angels whisper in your ear - and devils, too. ~Terri Guillemets
It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous. ~Robert Benchley
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