I knew others that
had more talent,
and a better background.
If persistence could not
do it for me,
I was doomed.
So I always listened,
and worked harder. 

—Jack Bickham

Every writer knows
fear and discouragement.
Just write.

―Anne Rice

Don’t compare yourself
with others except
to learn from them—
compete only with yourself,
maintaining the highest
standards of excellence
with yourself.

—Rosemary Daniell

When you read early
Hemingway stories,
you’re reading very fluidly—
and when you’re finished,
you’re not sure what it means. . . .
It’s somewhat like a riddle,
so you read it again.

And that’s, I think,
what art is—
art makes us go back
to it a second or third time.
It seems as if it’s accessible,
but maybe it’s not so simple.

—Joyce Carol Oates

The hardest thing 
about writing 
is writing.

—Nora Ephron

Keep a small can
of WD-40 on your desk—
away from any open flames—
to remind yourself
that if you don’t write daily,
you will get rusty.

—George Singleton