Fire

"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."

— Arthur Polotnik

Jackpot

"If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that's read by persons who move their lips when they're reading to themselves."

— Don Marquis

Effortless

"When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing."

— Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Universal Truths

"Every writer I know has trouble writing."

— Joseph Heller

Workaround

"A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one."

— Baltasar Gracián

Stifled

"Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher."

— Flannery O'Connor

The Rules

"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"

Occupational Hazard

"I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork."

— Peter De Vries

Precision

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

— Mark Twain

Starting Over

"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say."

— Mark Twain

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