Famous Quotes & Sayings

Non Fiction Writing Quotes & Sayings

Enjoy reading and share 67 famous quotes about Non Fiction Writing with everyone.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Pinterest Share on Linkedin

Top Non Fiction Writing Quotes

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Stephen Leacock

The writing of solid, instructive stuff fortified by facts and figures is easy enough. There is no trouble in writing a scientific treatise on the folk-lore of Central China, or a statistical enquiry into the declining population of Prince Edward Island. But to write something out of one's own mind, worth reading for its own sake, is an arduous contrivance only to be achieved in fortunate moments, few and far in between. Personally, I would sooner have written Alice in Wonderland than the whole Encyclopedia Britannica. — Stephen Leacock

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Jamaica Kincaid

So much history, if you or I were to write it, could seem a fiction. These separations, these lines that tell us this is fiction or non-fiction, that this is history or this is a novel, are often useless. — Jamaica Kincaid

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Sefi Atta

I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use my memory of settings, events and people. I weave history into my stories, but my narratives are made up. — Sefi Atta

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Meghan Daum

Non-fiction about personal subjects is going to attract more user comments than a foreign correspondent writing from Syria - unfortunately. — Meghan Daum

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Susan Orlean

I teach a non-fiction writing class at New York University, and one of my great pleasures is deciding on the syllabus. — Susan Orlean

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Jon McGregor

It would have been very easy to drift into writing a non-fiction book so by taking it away from Nottingham I forced myself to imagine much more of it. — Jon McGregor

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Scarlett Thomas

One of the paradoxes of writing is that when you write non-fiction everyone tries to prove that it's wrong, and when you publish fiction, everyone tries to see the truth in it. — Scarlett Thomas

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Kate Zambreno

I do teach fiction and non-fiction, and usually I'm interested in works that confuse genre, but I'm very new to teaching creative writing, I don't have an MFA, or a PhD, I tend to approach it just through my own practice. — Kate Zambreno

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By A.D. Posey

Fiction is entertaining. Nonfiction is epic. — A.D. Posey

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By George Saunders

With non-fiction writing I feel like I'm confined and driven by what actually happened. That makes the "plot". So it's a process of getting all of my notes typed up, then scanning through the notes, trying to extract or find certain vignettes that seem like they might write well - that might have a potential for good energy, shape, etc. And then at some point I start stringing these together, keeping an eye on the word count. — George Saunders

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Paul Auster

I say at the very end of "Winter Journal" that I do dream about my father often. I think I have a tremendous compassion for him, which has grown over the years. A certain kind of pity for him also in that he was so unrealised as a human being, so dogged, and so shut-off from people in many ways. You know, I've been writing another book, and it's another non-fiction autobiographical work, kind of a compliment to "Winter Journal", and it's just finished. — Paul Auster

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Bell Hooks

Any woman who wishes to be an intellectual, to write non-fiction, to deal with theory, faces a lot of discrimination coming her way and perhaps even self-doubt because there aren't that many who've gone before you. And I think that the most powerful tool we can have is to be clear about our intent. To know what it is we want to do rather than going into institutions thinking that the institution is going to frame for us. — Bell Hooks

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Jon Weisman

It is simply much easier to infuse life, feeling, and higher truth into a novel than a non-fiction work, to find the license to write truth without being wedded to fact. — Jon Weisman

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Neil Gaiman

Writing fiction is not a profession that leaves one well-disposed toward reading fiction. One starts out loving books and stories, and then one becomes jaded and increasingly hard to please. I read less and less fiction these days, finding the buzz and the joy I used to get from fiction in ever stranger works of non-fiction, or poetry. — Neil Gaiman

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Gudjon Bergmann

It is not lack of ability, but lack of motivation, lack of focus, and lack of self-confidence that prevents most aspiring authors from finishing what they started. — Gudjon Bergmann

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Gudjon Bergmann

Writing is a psychological process. It is the process of taking what is in your mind and sharing it with others. — Gudjon Bergmann

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Kyle Williamson

Writing is not about the end product, yes that is extremely important. It's not even about the grammar or style you write in; style and grammar are in the eye of the beholder. With each person, someone will find problems so grammar and style are moot. Writing, truly diving in is about the creative process...discovering a newer side of yourself as you are writing; creating. The adventure from page one to being done is what it is about. Do you feel good with the end product? do you feel good half way through? The point to this is simple...feedback is vital to selling your work, paying attention to hurtful feedback can destroy your pursuit of your dreams. so write for you...sell to others but write from your soul. Whether it's fiction/faction/non fiction or somewhere in between if your heart and soul is not in it...you are not going to be happy with it. — Kyle Williamson

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Lee Gutkind

As writers we intend to make a difference, to alter people's lives for the greater good ... this is why we write, to have an impact on society, to put a personal stamp on history ... Art and literature are the legacies we leave to succeeding generations. We'll be forgotten, but our books and essays, our stories and poems can survive us ... — Lee Gutkind

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Jonathan Coleman

In writing non-fiction about people who are living, you are always walking a fine line, carrying a burden to be fair that, in my opinion, should always be there. — Jonathan Coleman

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ripley Patton

I think of myth and magic as the hieroglyphics of the human psyche. They are a special language that circumvents conscious thought and goes straight to the subconscious.
Non-fiction uses the medium of information. It tells us what we need to know.
Science fiction primarily uses the medium of physics and mathematics. It tells us how things work, or could work.
Horror taps into the darker imagery of the psychology, telling us what we should fear.
Fantasy, magic and myth, however, tap into the spiritual potential of the human life. Their medium is symbolism, truth made manifest in word pictures, and they tell us what things mean on a deep, internal level. I have always been a meaning-maker. I have always been someone who strives to make sense of everything and perhaps that is where my life as a storyteller first began. Life doesn't always make sense, but story must. And so I write stories, and the world comes right again. — Ripley Patton

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal

It's very hard to be a screenwriter. I remember getting a couple of awards. I got a PEN West award a million years ago when I did Running on Empty, and I sat in the room with all these writers. They wrote everything from novels to non-fiction to children's books to journalism - any kind of writing - and I realized that there was no one in the room who would ever read anything I'd written. — Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Laurell K. Hamilton

I cannot say how strongly I object to people using other people's writing as research. Research is non-fiction, especially for horror, fantasy, science fiction. Do not take your research from other people's fiction. Just don't. — Laurell K. Hamilton

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Brad Thor

What has bothered and angered radical Muslims is that I'm a non-Muslim writing anything at all about Islam. But this is fiction, and I don't think Islam is above criticism or fictionalization any more so than Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism or Hinduism is. — Brad Thor

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Kaitlin Scott

Well, I would tell Danny. I'd probably edit for Josh. That is if there was
anything worth editing.
"Joshua Roberts, you had better get your butt on the move!" Danny
hollered as he walked down the stairs.
I was nervously waiting for them to leave as I pretended to watch TV in
the front room.
"We're going to be late."
"So the hair crisis is under control I see."
"A stray hair will never win between a bottle of gel and a gay man," he
declared with a smile. "Joshua!"
"I'm coming. I'm coming."
I heard his sandals click on the stairs and I waited to see if the mental
image matched the real one. To my non surprise it did. — Kaitlin Scott

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By George Saunders

The one thing fiction and non-fiction writing have in common for me is that sense of trying to get the sentences to be minimal but at the same time be a little overfull - to encourage them to do a kind of poetic work. — George Saunders

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Meg Cabot

In high school, I was very active in extracurricular activities such as art, theatre, and choir. I also wrote for the school newspaper, but not regularly, because I never liked writing non-fiction very much. — Meg Cabot

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Paul Auster

Autobiographical writings, essays, interviews, various other things ... All the non-fiction prose I wanted to keep, that was the idea behind this collected volume, which came out about few years ago. I didn't think of Winter Journal, for example, as an autobiography, or a memoir. What it is is a literary work, composed of autobiographical fragments, but trying to attain, I hope, the effect of music. — Paul Auster

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Richard Hell

I like writing non-fiction - and when you pick a [non-fiction] subject, it saves you the hassle of coming up with a plot. — Richard Hell

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Margaret Atwood

In high school, in 1956, at the age of sixteen, we were not taught "creative writing." We were taught literature and grammar. So no one ever told me I couldn't write both prose and poetry, and I started out writing all the things I still write: poetry, prose fiction - which took me longer to get published - and non-fiction prose. — Margaret Atwood

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By A.D. Posey

Writing fiction is fun. Writing non-fiction is life-changing. — A.D. Posey

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Katandra Jackson Nunnally

What was the difference between Anne Frank and any other 15 year old girl living the same nightmare? Nothing! Aside from the fact that Anne spoke through her writings while others kept silent. Someone very special to me recently asked how can I write such personal things as child abuse, relationship problems, sexual addiction, and not fear how the family will feel about these revealings. I have the audacity to write such things because it's MY story. Not my parents, not my brothers, not my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... MINE. Note to those contemplating writing nonfiction. Write the story. It's yours to tell. Nevermind how your family will feel. Those that love you will not judge you. I promise. Do not let your testimony be in vain. — Katandra Jackson Nunnally

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Sanhita Baruah

To write is to reveal oneself.
When I write something, fiction or non-fiction, I do not expect you to accept what I write, nor to agree with what I propose.
I expect you to spend at least a tenth of a second to think about it - may be not about the characters, nor about the piece, but at least about the idea. — Sanhita Baruah

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Alan Moore

Perhaps this is the purpose of all art, all writing, on the murders, fiction and non-fiction:
Simply to participate. — Alan Moore

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Lee Gutkind

The people who are writing online and the people in my genre of creative non-fiction exert a great deal more freedom that journalists are allowed to exert in their day-to-day work. — Lee Gutkind

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ted Dekker

There's different ways to be impacted by truth. One is to read the scriptures. Another is to read other works by other people who have read the scriptures, non fiction for example. Another is to do studies. Another is to go to a place of worship. Another thing is to sit and listen to someone who's speaking. There's all kinds of ways. Another way is to write. About the truth. Discover the struggle through your character. — Ted Dekker

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By John Sladek

See, I have no journalism in my background, so I wasn't practised at research or writing non-fiction, nor at handling the truth in a journalistic way. Journalists know when to call a halt and write something, but I kept on looking for answers. — John Sladek

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Erica Jong

I think poetry is the best thing I do. It's certainly the purest. I seem to switch gears without too much trouble. Non-fiction is in many ways the easiest to write. — Erica Jong

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Criss Jami

The best of fiction, as we know, of course, doesn't tell the truth; it tales the truth. — Criss Jami

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Tanith Lee

Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and non-fiction. And even there, who can be sure? — Tanith Lee

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Nile Rodgers

I'd probably be a super wealthy guy if I had sat around writing songs and getting them placed like everyone else I know. But I write songs about people or after I meet them and they're somewhat biographical - they're fiction but also non-fiction. — Nile Rodgers

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Lloyd Alexander

Writing for children can be completely honest in non-cynical ways. In adult books you're required to be cynical. It embarrasses us to say positive things. You can have affection and hope in children's books, but that is out of fashion in adult fiction. — Lloyd Alexander

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Stephen King

I used to hammer away at the idea of simplicity.
In both fiction and non-fiction, there's only one question and one answer. 'What happened?' the reader asks. 'This is what happened,' the writer responds. 'This ... and this ... and this, too.' Keep it simple. It's the only sure way home. — Stephen King

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By David Foster Wallace

I was trained mainly as a short story writer and that's how I started writing, but I've also become very interested in non-fiction, just because I got a couple of magazine jobs when I was really poor and needed the money and it turned out that non-fiction was much more interesting than I thought it was. — David Foster Wallace

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Geraldine Brooks

When you're writing non-fiction, you go as far as you can go, and then ethically you have to stop. You can't go. You can't suppose. You can't imagine. And I think there's something in human nature that wants to finish the story. — Geraldine Brooks

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Jennifer Weiner

Read everything. Read fiction and non-fiction, read hot best sellers and the classics you never got around to in college. — Jennifer Weiner

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ian McEwan

The best way to tell people about climate change is through non-fiction. There's a vast literature of outstanding writing on the subject. — Ian McEwan

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Sara Sheridan

The writing talent of Edinburgh is textured - we have poets, novelists, non-fiction writers, dramatists and more. — Sara Sheridan

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Sefi Atta

I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction. — Sefi Atta

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Alain De Botton

I am conscious of trying to stretch the boundaries of non-fiction writing. It's always surprised me how little attention many non-fiction writers pay to the formal aspects of their work. — Alain De Botton

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Penelope Lively

I'm writing another novel and I know what I'm going to do after, which may be something more like this again, maybe some strange mixture of fiction and non-fiction. — Penelope Lively

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ann M. Martin

A couple of pieces of advice for the kids who are serious about writing are: first of all, to read everything you can get your hands on so you can become familiar with different forms of writing: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, journalism. That's very important. And also keep a journal. Not so much, because it's good writing practice. Although it is, but more because it's a wonderful source of story starters. — Ann M. Martin

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Kilroy J. Oldster

The analytical framework of this comprehensive field study of what it means to be an American examines how a person's personality, culture, technology, occupational and recreational activities affect a person's sense of purposefulness and happiness. The text evaluates the nature of human existence, formation of human social relations, and methods of communication from various philosophic and cultural perspectives. The ultimate goal is to employ the author's own mind and personal experiences as a filter to quantify what it means to live and die as a thinking and reflective person. — Kilroy J. Oldster

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ronald Frame

I think, when you are writing non-fiction, you feel there's an obligation to get it absolutely right, so all your factual details have to be, have, you know, to go through a long list of them and tick them. I'm not saying that's not important in fiction, but I think you have a bit more leeway; you can suit yourself. — Ronald Frame

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By V.S. Naipaul

Non-fiction can distort; facts can be realigned. But fiction never lies. — V.S. Naipaul

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Deana J. Driver

Biographies are best when written chronologically. Boring people don't make for good biographies. — Deana J. Driver

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ray Hartley

Reading non-fiction without writing notes is like chewing without swallowing. You will get the taste of it but digest nothing — Ray Hartley

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Trudi Canavan

Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear, misheard words or lyrics, dreams ... Motivation? The memory of the rush I get from a really good writing session - even on a bad day, I know I'll find that again if I keep going. — Trudi Canavan

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By John Irving

I'm not writing non-fiction. I don't feel anything about me as a kid was unique. Except that I had more interest in being alone and using my imagination. — John Irving

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Alex Bosworth

Every time I write about life, I must kill and eat the actual event. I mean to say that my words are scavengers who need to devour lifeless substance if they are to survive as non-fiction. The event is dead, it ceased to be as soon as it happened. The closest I can come to resurrecting the past is to feed my memories to a ravenous swarm of sentences, punctuation and paragraphs. They chew up and digest the things I remember, producing a waste product I think of as an honest account. Reality suffers a second death through this process. False memories, both organic and manufactured, erase the genuine article in order to reassemble the factors into a serviceable construct. True story. — Alex Bosworth

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Ann Leckie

In non-fiction, I found John Gardner's two writing books to be tremendously helpful. — Ann Leckie

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Michael Scott

That is as true for fiction or non-fiction. The writer has to really know their subject. It is really important to remember that the readers are a lot smarter than the writer. Also, good writing has to do with rewriting. You will never get it right the first time. So you rewrite and rewrite again until you get it right. Until you, and the reader, will be able to visualize what you're writing about. — Michael Scott

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Karan Bajaj

In the first 27 years of my life, I never had written a single non-technical word. I went to engineering college and went to business school. I never knew I could write fiction of any form. — Karan Bajaj

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Arundhati Roy

Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is wrenched out by the aching, broken world I wake up to every morning. — Arundhati Roy

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By M.F.K. Fisher

I honestly believe that everything I know about the writing of non-fiction (or writing) could be engraved on the head of a pin with a garden hoe ... — M.F.K. Fisher

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Melissa Peterman

I have been tossing around the idea of writing some non-fiction. Maybe a collection of short stories about my experience being a mom and how not to be perfect. — Melissa Peterman

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Randy Pausch

The most difficult part of writing a book is not devising a plot which will captivate the reader. It's not developing characters the reader will have strong feelings for or against. It is not finding a setting which will take the reader to a place he or she as never been. It is not the research, whether in fiction or non-fiction. The most difficult task facing a writer is to find the voice in which to tell the story. — Randy Pausch

Non Fiction Writing Quotes By Bruce Wayne Sullivan

Anyone who has no need of anybody but himself is either a beast or a God.
Aristotle — Bruce Wayne Sullivan