The Quotable Writer: Words of Wisdom from Mark Twain, Aristotle, Oscar Wilde, Robert Frost, Eric Jong, and More

This compendium of quotes, quips and words of wisdom on writing, books and publishing has been gleaned from literature, speeches and comments of the great, famous and infamous. It has over 50 topics from accuracy to word economy and censorship to rejection.

The Quotable Writer

Words of Wisdom from Mark Twain, Aristotle, Oscar Wilde, Robert Frost, Erica Long, and more.

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word ... is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

­­Mark Twain

"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels about dogs."

­­British playwright Christopher Hampton

"No passion on Earth, neither love nor hate, is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft."

­­H.G. Wells

"The best writing is that which doesn't call attention to itself."

­­William Appel and Denise Sterrs, The Truth About Fiction Writing

"All the fun's in how you say a thing."

­­Robert Frost

What do Aristotle, Erica Jong, and Calvin Coolidge have in common? They all had something interesting to say about writing, books, and editing. Now this wonderful compENDium brings together their words and over 1000 other choice quotations on writing wisdom, wit, and lore from the great, the near-great, and the infamous. Organized into alphabetical sections from "Biography" to "Writers and Writing," The Quotable Writer is an inspirational window into the writing world for readers and new writers, a source of wry commentary to bring a smile to even the most jaded insider, and a ready sourcebook for those seeking a quote to add spice to their own speech or writing.

"If it can't be read aloud, it's no damn good."

­­John Braine, Writing a Novel

The book you hold in your hands is almost impossible not to read aloud. Witty and wise, these words from writers and others on the craft, practice, and business of writing beg to be shared.

From Herman Melville to George Orwell, from Benjamin Disraeli to Fran Leibowitz, The Quotable Writer hopscotches the centuries and callings of writers to bring you the most apt, telling, and entertaining things people have said about writing, editing, and books.

Organized into dozens of sections that include "Grammar," "Originality," "How to Get Published," and "Screenwriting," The Quotable Writer gives you not just a wealth of witty rejoinders, wise sayings, and smart remarks for almost any occasion, but also useful professional advice on the intricacies of the art, methods, and commerce of writing.

Whether you seek a great comeback, support in an argument, or a cross-section of opinion on almost all writing-related topics, this little warehouse of writing wisdom has it. You'll discover how writers regard editors, rejection, fame, and critics. You'll read what great thinkers, great writers, great editors, and other mere mortals have said about censorship, genius, irony, and insults.

From composer Max Reger's reaction to a negative review­­"I am sitting in the smallest room in my house. I have your review in front of me. Soon it will be behind me"­­to Andre Maurois' pronouncement that "in literature, as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others," this remarkable compENDium showcases not only the range of opinion, but the variety of ways in which it's expressed.

Perfect for those who want a look into the world of the writer, those seeking spice and leavening for speech or writing of their own, and the ideal companion for writers themselves, The Quotable Writer is a rich treasure trove, one you'll enjoy mining time and again.