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

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Every writer knows
fear and discouragement.
Just write.

―Anne Rice

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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

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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

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The hardest thing 
about writing 
is writing.

—Nora Ephron

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It’s often good to do
a fishing trip between
the first draft and the second draft,
because that’s
where you find the howlers—
that’s where you see
the weaknesses. . . .
You need the distance to see it.

—David Seidler,
Creative Spark: David Seidler

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