"All writers feel the atmosphere surrounding him... Those kinds of stories soak into him. It doesn't have to be direct."

— Haruki Murakami

for Creatives  |  creative process, writing, Haruki Murakami

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."

— Haruki Murakami (art by John Lavery)

for Creatives  |  reading, books, Haruki Murakami, John Lavery

"You have to be physically tough to follow the stories... you have to be tough to survive in your own world."

— Haruki Murakami

for Creatives  |  creating isn't easy, writing, storytelling, Haruki Murakami

"When I'm writing about beer, the readers should be thirsty... When I write about making love, the readers should want to make love."

— Haruki Murakami

for Creatives  |  reading, writing, writer-reader relationship, Haruki Murakami

"Self-publishing is a marathon, not a sprint."

— Hugh Howey (photo features author Haruki Murakami)

for Creatives  |  publishing, Haruki Murakami, Hugh Howey

"I have been writing for 35 years and I have never experienced writer's block."

— Haruki Murakami

for Creatives  |  writing, writer's block, Haruki Murakami