Sage Advice

I love quotes about writing. Here is some sage advice from the masters of the craft. Ponder it and use their wisdom well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, find out what your hero wants. Then just follow him.
- Ray Bradbury

It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.
- William Faulkner

I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.
- Stephen King

The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell, together, as quickly as possible.
- Mark Twain

Writing fiction is a solitary occupation but not really a lonely one. The writer's head is mobbed with characters, images and language.
- Hilma Wolitzer

In writing a series of stories about the same characters, plan the whole series in advance in some detail, to avoid contradictions and inconsistencies.
- L. Sprague de Camp

When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
- Raymond Chandler

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
- Albert Einstein