I’ve been teaching an undergrad class at Hamline University this fall on the craft of fiction. Now that everyone has submitted to the workshop process, which can be a grind and gut-wrenching experience, I’ve emailed them a few writing quotes I like hoping to give them some additional pep. I’ve always liked how a good quote can cut straight through the writing fog.

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“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.” -Stephen King

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“A book is a dream you hold in your hand.” -Neil Gaiman.

“A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist.”  -Vladimir Nabokov

“Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”  –J. K. Rowling.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -Anton Chekhov

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” –Octavia E. Butler

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” -Ray Bradbury

“The writer is by nature a dreamer— a conscious dreamer.”  –Carson McCullers

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” -E. L. Doctorow

“Write hard and clear about what hurts.” -Ernest Hemingway