“Only one thing drives me to write books: OBSESSION. Ferocious love. From the beginning, I've thought of writing as my escape, as this special and important calling. Not drudgery, not *eyeroll* work. I get this fierce, desperate glee as I plan a story. Like planning a vacation.”— Delilah S. Dawson, twitter.com
“Hi! Just a reminder that I'm a single black mom of 2 with ADD, & I was in my 30's working in marketing with no professional writing experience when I started blogging, & now I write full time & have a NYT bestselling book. You can be a writer. It's never too late. It will wait for you”— Ijeoma Oluo, twitter.com
“A writing career is like a pangolin driving a semi truck through a taco bell. Everyone is very impressed, but no one stops to think how many fortunes had to align to make that happen.”— Sam Sykes, twitter.com
“All my life I dreamed of being a writer. I knew that, if I worked hard enough, one day I would reap the reward for my efforts, that people would finally take me seriously for my literary merit.”— Myke Cole, twitter.com
“I am not a disability writer. I’m a writer, period. I write about disability sure, but also, pop culture and music and grief and joy and whatever I feel like.”— Keah Brown, twitter.com
“Writing has ALWAYS been hard for me, both when I had all the time in the world and none at all. That doesn't change. Never want to do it, but always happy that I did.”— Sarah Dessen, twitter.com
“I’m not usually one for aphorisms, but I think as writers we all worry we’re doing it wrong. However you get there is how you get there. And to those struggling to fit writing into an already too-busy, too-stressful life, you have all my love and admiration.”— Kiersten White, twitter.com
“Edits can be disheartening and overwhelming because you write the best book you possibly can the first time around, and then you’re asked to make it better. HOW?? But that extra set of eyes or two crack open the story in ways you never imagined.”— Kiersten White, twitter.com
“Being a writer means no lonely Sunday nights, because there’s *always* work to be done. But it also makes it hard to enjoy idle time, to take a break, to be present in a moment. Because there’s *always* work to be done.”— Myke Cole, twitter.com
“When I'm working on a book, I become so tangled up in it, I can't focus on anything else. But when I'm NOT working on a book, my thoughts get tangled up all on their own.”— V.E. Schwab, twitter.com
“When I read someone say that every writer dreams of their work being adapted for Film or TV, I roll my eyes. Writers dreams of being published, of finding readers and keeping them, of being given the space to write the books they want... everything else is just icing.”— John Boyne, twitter.com
“Up and coming writers, I warmly urge you to not read Goodreads reviews of your book. The site is for readers, not writers. Spare yourself.”— Roxane Gay, twitter.com
“I opened envelopes and sorted things and logged things. After a while I got to read submissions. And it was some of the best writing education I've ever had. If you want to grow as a writer, volunteer at a lit mag or small press!”— Roxane Gay, twitter.com