11 quotes from famous authors that will make you a better writer

Art by Alex.

Mastery Den, Tuesday Edition, 4-min read.

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For years, I’ve shared my ideas on how to improve as a writer.

But so many great authors and writers have come before who can prompt fresh insights and say it better than I could. Even in a single line.

Let’s look at the ideas of some writers who impacted the world with their words.

What can they teach us about improving the craft?

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” 

— Stephen King

You and I know this intimately.

It’s icky to stare at a blank page, knowing you said you’d write, and now you’re here, you want to be elsewhere. Maybe I can get a little more inspiration on YouTube? No! It’s time.

When the start is the hardest part, what do you do? You minimise the time spent in the start. And how do you do that?

You make like a concert pianist and twiddle your fingers.

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” 

— E.L. Doctorow

Mr Doctorow reminds us to ease off the pressure of having everything figured out before you start.

You need to flip the script and be willing to write your way to inspiration.

This means the words you put down at the start of a session might be discarded. That’s ok.

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” 

— Toni Morrison

The same applies to writing anything.

Write the article you want to read. Write the tweet that excites you right now. Write for present you and past you. 

Write the piece you needed to read five years ago when you were struggling. 

Now writing is less about speaking to nothingness and praying.

It’s about writing to someone you know well.

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” 

— Robert Frost

Frost reveals a critical component of powerful writing.

If you don’t feel the words, your reader will not either.

This is why good writing is a process of warming up — you work yourself from a robotic writer into an emotional writer.

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” 

— Natalie Goldberg

Following this guidance is so underused. 

It’s one of the biggest opportunities for writers right now. It’s like a rarely visited aquifer with the potential to deliver years of water in a desert.

This isn’t a joke.

Instead of trying to figure out the latest trend that will help you go viral, just ask yourself: what am I scared to write?

And write it.

“I believe that writing is derivative. I think good writing comes from good reading.”

― Charles Kuralt

Great thought from Mr. Kuralt. It’s easy to fall into the habit of writing without reading.

Watching films helps, but it is no substitute for reading. Reading directly immerses you in the craft of writing.

When we read, we are being inspired by writers. We pick up ideas and can turn them into new ones through our filters.

When I’m stuck creatively, it’s time to either walk or read.

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” 

— Anaïs Nin

A great reflection when considering your next piece is: ‘What can I say that others are not?’

This thinking keeps you immune from obscurity, AI advancements, and ruthless competition.

“In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.” 

― C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis, the great writer of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe said it well.

I fall into this mistake often.

It’s easy to describe something. But can you show what you mean so the reader sees it, envisions it, and is punched in the gut with what you show them?

“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” 

— Elmore Leonard

You don’t want readers to feel the need to skip paragraphs.

This is like getting plates returned that are only half-eaten at a restaurant. You want your reader to gorge on the entire thing.

A great way to tell if your readers will likely skip is when your writing process no longer feels fun.

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” 

— Thomas Jefferson

It’s tempting to fluff up our words to write quicker and hit larger word quotas.

But this infects the quality of your creations. You must see writing as a service for the reader. Don’t give them more than they need to chew.

See writing like organising a Zen garden. They don’t have weeds.

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.”

― Ray Bradbury

This sounds a little head in the clouds, but Bradbury is spot on. He’s referring to the play between two voices as we write: the critical voice and the creative voice. 

Too many of us stumble over the sharp spikes of critical voice and never get anywhere because we’re in editing mode.

We must switch modes like Megatron.

Listening to your creative voice means opening up, letting go of the process, and writing what comes to mind.

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