Lisa Cooper Ellison

When my brother was 20 he died during a mental health crisis. Two years later, I almost joined him. I wrote about why in this essay for @HuffPost #amwriting #writingcommunity #binders #writerscommunity #suicide #grief #loss #recovery #mentalhealth huffpost.com/entry/brother-…

"We read a lot about writers who have a “butt in chair” philosophy, who crank out a minimum of a thousand words every day rain or shine. If you are one of them, I am genuinely happy for you—and for me, because I get to read your books on a ...buff.ly/3RVDtpc"--EMILY GOULD

“There is nothing magical about the flip of the calendar, but it represents a clean break, a new hope, and a blank canvas." ― Jason Soroski

“Writing controlled fiction is called “plotting.” Buckling your seatbelt and letting the story take over, however… that is called “storytelling.” Storytelling is as natural as breathing; plotting is the literary version of artificial respiration.”-- Stephen King

"Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget...buff.ly/47aHsmk"--SALMAN RUSHDIE

"My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to have as few conceptual notions as possible and you just respond to the energy that the story is making rather than having a big over plan. I think if you...buff.ly/3v4vgWN"--GEORGE SAUNDERS

“The real story is not the plot, but how the characters unfold by it.”― Vanna Bonta

“Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.” --Alan Cohen

"The most important thing is you can’t write what you wouldn’t read for pleasure. It’s a mistake to analyze the market thinking you can write whatever is hot. You can’t say you’re going to write romance when you don’t even like it. You...buff.ly/3Tp16Yk"--NORA ROBERTS

"If you write, good ideas must come welling up into you so that you have something to write. If good ideas do not come at once, or for a long time, do not be troubled at all. Wait for them. Put down little ideas no matter how... buff.ly/3v1xvdj " --BRENDA UELAND

“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”― Voltaire

“Don’t settle for mediocrity. Take a chance. Take a risk. Find that passion. Know what you’re really worth.” – Unknown

"Learn punctuation; it is your little drum set, one of the few tools you have to signal the reader where the beats and emphases go. (If you get it wrong, any least thing, the editor will throw your manuscript out.) Punctuation is not like...advicetowriters.com/advice/learn-p…"- ANNIE DILLARD

"The best advice on writing I’ve ever received is to take it seriously, because to do it well is all-consuming."--DAVID GUTERSON

"The best advice on writing I’ve ever received was from William Zinsser: “Be grateful for every word you can cut.”--CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY

“I believe that writing is derivative. I think good writing comes from good reading.”― Charles Kuralt

“It's about waking up in the morning and saying: No matter what gets done and how much is done and how it's done, I'm enough and I'm worthy of belonging and love and joy.” – Brené Brown

“Story is metaphor for life and life is lived in time.”― Robert McKee

"I think I write to think—not to find out what I think; surely I know what I already think—but to do better thinking. Staring at my laptop screen makes me better at thinking. Even thinking about writing makes me better at thinking. And... buff.ly/46HWJKX " --ELISA GABBERT

“I think the deeper you go into questions, the deeper or more interesting the questions get. And I think that’s the job of art.”--Andre Dubus III

"Most writers think up a plot with an intriguing situation and then proceed to fit characters into it. With me a plot, if you could call it that, is an organic thing. It grows and often it overgrows. I am continually finding... buff.ly/40YPKMM"-- RAYMOND CHANDLER