Frankisms

“The fire of experience forges people into complex beings. — Cheryl St.John”

writing

“The first step any writer takes toward the “magic” that seems to come with professionalism is simply to sit down and write. — Marjorie Holmes”

writing

“The first step in good writing is to get something written. — Cecil Murphey”

writing

“The function of a story is to create a particular reaction in a given reader. — Dwight V. Swain”

writing

“The hero has to do something when we meet him so that we like him and want him to win. — Blake Snyder”

writing

“The hook is an emotional invitation. The writer issues a subtle promise that every word will be as powerful as the opening line. — DiAnn Mills”

writing

“The less you tell us how to feel, the more likely we’ll feel exactly what you want us to. — Lisa Cron”

writing

“The lure of the unknown draws the reader further and further into the story. Revealing too much takes away the seductive lure of discovery. — Cheryl St.John”

writing

“The main problem with quotations arises when writers assume that quotations speak for themselves. — Gerald Graff”

writing

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over a man who can’t read them. — Mark Twain”

writing

“The material of literary talent is words; the material of story talent is life itself. — Robert McKee”

writing

“The mind takes 48 percent longer to understand a negated statement. — Sandra Glahn, editor in chief of Kindred Spirit magazine”

writing

“The modern reader, brought up on movies and television, wants highly visual stories, not narrative summaries. — Theodore A. Rees Cheney”

writing

“The more honestly you write, the closer you come to knowing who you really are. — Cecil Murphey”

writing

“The more people affected by the threat the protagonist faces, the higher the stakes. — Carole Bugge”

writing

“The more that is at stake for your character, the more she feels about the things that are happening around her. — Cheryl St.John”

writing

“The more you know about your tools, the better you’ll be able to use them. — Elizabeth George”

writing

“The more you worry about grammar, the less you’re going to write. — Joel Saltzman”

writing

“The more you write, the better you’re going to get at it. — Harlan Coben”

writing

“The more you’re willing to work and rework your material—the better it gets. — Joel Saltzman”

writing

“The most common error a person makes while using the English language is when they use a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent. — Sandra Glahn, editor in chief of Kindred Spirit magazine”

writing

“The most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar; familiar things new. — William Makepeace Thackeray”

writing

“The most productive writers are those who combine a sense of realism about the tough odds they face with a belief that such odds can be overcome with enough effort. — Susan K. Perry”

writing

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. — Thomas Jefferson”

writing

“The one thing that makes a person a writer is writing. Butt in chair. Every day. No excuses. Ever. — Lisa Cron”

writing

“The only failure in writing is when you stop doing it. Then you fail yourself. — Natalie Goldberg”

writing

“The only reason my contract file is thicker than my rejection file is because contracts are twenty pages long. — Cheryl St.John”

writing

“The only thing that will make your fiction endure will be excellent characters. — Jeff Gerke”

writing

“The only way you can develop your voice is by writing. — DiAnn Mills”

writing

“The opening line is the most important thing on the page. — Terry Burns”

writing

“The past tense often flows more easily than the every-moment-is-now nature of present tense. — Laurie Alberts”

writing

“The pen and the sword make an unbeatable combination. — Sandra Glahn, editor in chief of Kindred Spirit magazine”

writing

“The problem is that there are no good maps for the journey of a writer; each one goes it alone. — Natalie Goldberg”

writing

“The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business. — John Steinbeck”

writing

“The proper definition of “Man” is an animal who writes letters. — Lewis Carroll”

writing

“The reader must know what’s going on immediately, from the very first words on the page. — Syd Field”

writing

“The reader must see the action as if he or she were seeing it on the screen. — Syd Field”

writing

“The reader turns the page because he wants to know what’s going to happen next. — Cheryl St.John”

writing

“The reader will assume the opening scene is typical of the whole book. — Persia Woolley”

writing

“The real world is a clinic for writers who pay attention and break down what they see around them. — Larry Brooks”

writing