Words on Paper

Don't Believe in Inspiration

"I don't believe in inspiration.  I believe that you sit at your desk, and you push your pencil around, and you feel lousy about yourself for a while, and eventually, you just start writing.  Everyone I know who's lucky in this business is lucky because they're working really hard, and then good stuff happens."

Stop Mythologizing the Life of a Writer

"Stop mythologizing the life of a writer.  Don't wait for the muse to whisper in your ear.  Don't cultivate an affected personality.  Put your butt in a chair and write.  A writer is no different than a plumber, a landscaper or a dental hygienist.  We are doing what we are called to do and what we are suited for.  You don't need to escape to a cabin and write in a parchment diary with a special pen. Sit at a Starbucks or at home or in the middle of traffic and just write."

You're Not Going to Remember

"You have to write when you're not 'inspired.' ...And the weird thing is that six months later, or a year later, you're going to look back and you're not going to remember which scenes you wrote when you were inspired and which scenes you wrote because they had to be written."

Get to the Typewriter Right Now

All I Write Is 1,000 Words a Day