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Quotations about Writing

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Using Quotations in a Speech or Text about Writing

As well as keeping your audience engaged, adding quotations to a speech or a text can significantly enhance its impact and effectiveness. Quotations are useful for explaining complex ideas concisely, much in the same way that analogies are used. Additionally, quotations from experts or celebrities can add credibility to your message.

Here are some funny and poignant quotations about writing. If your speech is serious, do not automatically avoid funny quotations as they can often be the most impactful, forcing your audience into the thinking about the hidden analogous message in your selected quotation.

  • "Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." (British actor Peter Ustinov)
  • "When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth." (Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw)
If you are looking to make a fuller speech about writing, then below this selection of quotations are three funny themes and three serious themes on the topic of writing that might help trigger some ideas for your speech or text.
quotations about writing

"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." Thomas Mann (German novelist, 1875-1955)

"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." Terry Pratchett (English fantasy writer, 1948-2015)

AI image of Terry Pratchett in the style of Salvador Dali

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." Nathaniel Hawthorne (American novelist, 1804-64)

Writing is a socially acceptable form of *schizophrenia.*theft.*ranting.* E.L. Doctorow (American novelist, 1931-2015)

"Writing is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration." Thomas Alva Edison (American inventor, 1847-1931)

"Writing is 1% inspiration, and 99% elimination." Louise Brooks (American film actress, 1906-1985)

"Writing is 1% inspiration, and 99% not getting distracted by the internet." Anon

AI image of Anonymous in the style of Salvador Dali

"Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money." Jules Renard (French novelist and dramatist, 1864-1910)

I'm writing a book. I've got the *page numbers*introduction*first chapter* done. Steven Wright (American comedian, 1955-)

"If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur." Doug Larson (American columnist, 1926-2017)

"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research." Wilson Mizner (American dramatist, 1876-1933)

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." E.L. Doctorow (American novelist, 1931-2015)

The most terrifying thing for a writer is a *blank page.*shallow idea.*pushy publisher.* Anon

"I hate writing, I love having written." Dorothy Parker (American critic and humorist, 1893-1967)

Every writer I know has *trouble writing.*a dog.*weird dreams.* Joseph Heller (American novelist, 1923-99)

"As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out." Mark Twain (American writer, 1835-1910)

AI image of Mark Twain in the style of Salvador Dali

"Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the internet." Anon

AI image of Anonymous in the style of Pablo Picasso

The road to hell is paved with *adverbs.*good intentions.*pronouns.* Stephen King (American author, 1947-)

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn." Anne Frank (German-born Jewish diarist, 1929-1945)

"Writers are desperate people and when they stop being desperate they stop being writers." Charles Bukowski (German-born American writer, 1920-94)

"I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." Flannery O'Connor (American novelist, 1925-1964)

"After being turned down by numerous publishers, he had decided to write for posterity." George Ade (American humorist and dramatist, 1866-1944)

"He writes so well, he makes me feel like putting my quill back in my goose." Fred Allen (American humorist, 1894-1956)

"If you can't annoy somebody with what you write, I think there's little point in writing." Kingsley Amis (English novelist and poet, 1922-95)

"Authors with *a mortgage*a wife*a bountiful garden* never get writer's block." Mavis Cheek (English novelist, 1948-)

"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." G. K. Chesterton (English essayist and poet, 1874-1936)

"He who writes badly thinks badly." William Cobbett (English political reformer, 1762-1835)

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." E. L. Doctorow (American novelist, 1931-)

I suppose most editors are failed writers – but so are most *writers.*of us.*people.* T. S. Eliot (Anglo-American poet, critic, and dramatist, 1888-1965)

'The cat sat on the mat' is not a story. 'The cat sat on the dog's mat' is a story. John le Carre (English thriller writer, 1931-)

"If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that's read by persons who move their lips when reading." Don Marquis (American poet and journalist, 1878-1937)

"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research." Wilson Mizner (American dramatist, 1876-1933)

Anyone could write a novel given six weeks, pen, paper, and no telephone or *wife.*deadline.*dog.* Evelyn Waugh (English novelist, 1903-66)

Thinking Template for a Speech or Text on Writing

Below are 3 funny themes and 3 serious themes related to writing. These have been included to help you identify areas to explore.

Funny Themes:

  1. Writing Wrongs: Hilarious Authorial Missteps and Literary Blunders
    • Share amusing anecdotes or stories about funny writing mishaps, from typos that changed the meaning of a sentence drastically to hilarious plot fails in novels.
  2. Deadlines and Dramas: The Funniest Tales from the Trenches of Writing
    • Explore humorous situations related to writing under pressure, including last-minute deadline scrambles and comical coping strategies used by writers.
  3. Pseudonym Puzzles: The Most Entertaining Pen Names and Their Stories
    • Discuss comical or peculiar stories behind writers' choice of pseudonyms, revealing funny or unexpected reasons for their alter egos.

Serious Themes:

  1. The Craft of Writing: Techniques, Inspiration, and Process
    • Explore the craft of writing, discussing techniques for inspiration, the creative process, and how writers develop their unique styles and voices.
  2. Writers and Society: The Role of Literature in Shaping Cultural and Social Perspectives
    • Discuss the impact of writers and their works on society, exploring how literature reflects and influences cultural, social, and political climates.
  3. Challenges Facing Modern Writers: Publishing Trends, Economic Realities, and Digital Transformation
    • Address the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary writers, including changes in the publishing industry, the economic realities of a writing career, and the impact of digital media.

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