Quote

You have to have something worth saying and then the ability to say it- writing's a double skill, really.

My father told us all the time: to become a good writer takes writing. Because the more you do it, the better you get at it. It's like bull-riding. You can't do it once, you know. You've got to practice it and practice it.

When you write something it has to hit the level that you accept as being good.

One of the odd things about being a writer is that you never reach a point of certainty, a point of mastery where you can say, 'Right. Now I understand how this is done.'

I can't write; I don't think I'm even particularly good at telling a writer what's good or what's missing. So, actually having someone who can do that is a godsend.

Good writing of course requires talent, and no one can teach you to have talent.

One of the problems of writing is that anyone who commits themselves to that process has to believe that they're good.

Good writers are often excellent at a hundred other things, but writing promises a greater latitude for the ego.

Writing is communication, and you don't know how you're doing until you put it in front of someone else's eyes. You also learn from critiquing other writers' work.

Just writing a lot doesn't necessarily make you a better writer. You have to hear yourself as a writer, and the best way to do that is to read your writing out loud.