Anton Chekhov Quotes about Writing

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Inspirational, Writing, Moon

It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Thinking, Soul

"The Seagull". Play by Anton Chekhov, 1896.

Cross out as many adjectives and adverbs as you can. ... It is comprehensible when I write: "The man sat on the grass," because it is clear and does not detain one's attention. On the other hand, it is difficult to figure out and hard on the brain if I write: "The tall, narrow-chested man of medium height and with a red beard sat down on the green grass that had already been trampled down by the pedestrians, sat down silently, looking around timidly and fearfully." The brain can't grasp all that at once, and art must be grasped at once, instantaneously.

Anton Chekhov

Art, Writing, Men

When men ask me how I know so much about men, they get a simple answer: everything I know about men, I learned from me.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Simple, Men

When describing nature, a writer should seize upon small details, arranging them so that the reader will see an image in his mind after he closes his eyes. For instance: you will capture the truth of a moonlit night if you'll write that a gleam like starlight shone from the pieces of a broken bottle, and then the dark, plump shadow of a dog or wolf appeared. You will bring life to nature only if you don't shrink from similes that liken its activities to those of humankind.

Anton Chekhov

Dog, Writing, Eye

He is an emancipated thinker who is not afraid to write foolish things.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Foolish, Not Afraid

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1964). “Letters on the short story, the drama, and other literary topics”

Try to be original in your play and as clever as possible; but don't be afraid to show yourself foolish; we must have freedom of thinking, and only he is an emancipated thinker who is not afraid to write foolish things.

Anton Chekhov

Clever, Writing, Thinking

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1964). “Letters on the short story, the drama, and other literary topics”

If an intelligent, educated, and healthy man begins to complain of his lot and go down-hill, there is nothing for him to do but to go on down until he reaches the bottom--there is no hope for him. Where could my salvation come from? How can I save myself? I cannot drink, because it makes my head ache. I never could write bad poetry. I cannot pray for strength and see anything lofty in the languor of my soul. Laziness is laziness and weakness weakness. I can find no other names for them. I am lost, I am lost; there is no doubt of that.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Intelligent, Men

Anton Chekhov (2015). “The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Novellas, Short Stories, Plays, Letters & Diary: Three Sisters, Seagull , The Shooting Party, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Chameleon, Tripping Tongue, On The Road, Vanka, Ward No. Six, Swedish Match, Nightmare, Bear, Reluctant Hero, Joy…”, p.131, e-artnow

Write, write, write-till your fingers break.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Break, Fingers

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Peter Constantine (2000). “The Undiscovered Chekhov: Forty-three New Stories”, p.9, Seven Stories Press

If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.

Anton Chekhov

Wall, Writing, Rifles

My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.

Anton Chekhov

Lying, Writing, Stories

Write only of what is important and eternal.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Important, Eternal

Anton Chekhov (2006). “The Major Plays”, p.111, Penguin

I confess I seldom commune with my conscience when I write.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Communes, Conscience

Anton Chekhov (2015). “The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Novellas, Short Stories, Plays, Letters & Diary: Three Sisters, Seagull , The Shooting Party, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Chameleon, Tripping Tongue, On The Road, Vanka, Ward No. Six, Swedish Match, Nightmare, Bear, Reluctant Hero, Joy…”, p.3428, e-artnow

Everyone judges plays as if they were very easy to write. They don't know that it is hard to write a good play, and twice as hardand tortuous to write a bad one.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Play, Judging

Anton Chekhov's letter to A.S. Suvorin, May 4, 1889.

If you look at anything long enough, say just that wall in front of you - it will come out of that wall.

Anton Chekhov

Wall, Writing, Long

To a chemist, nothing on earth is unclean. A writer must be as objective as a chemist; he must abandon the subjective line; he must know that dungheaps play a very respectable part in a landscape, and that evil passions are as inherent in life as good ones.

Anton Chekhov

Passion, Writing, Play

Everything I have written up to now is trifling compared to that which I would like to write and would write with great pleasureEither I am a fool and a self-conceited person, or I am a being capable of becoming a good writer; I am displeased and bored with everything now being written, while everything in my head interests, moves, and excites me-whence I draw the conclusion that no one is doing what is needed, and I alone know the secret of how it should be done. In all likelihood everyone who writes thinks that. In fact, the devil himself will be brought to his knees by these questions.

Anton Chekhov

Moving, Writing, Conceited

A writer should not so much write as embroider on paper; the work should be painstaking, laborious.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Paper, Should

Anton Chekhov (2008). “How to Write Like Chekhov: Advice and Inspiration, Straight from His Own Letters and Work”, p.19, Da Capo Press

Women writers should write a lot if they want to write. Take the English women, for example. What amazing workers.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Example, Want

Letter to L.A. Avilova, February 26, 1899.

It's easier to write about Socrates than about a young woman or a cook.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Literature, Easier

Letter to A. S. Suvorin, January 2, 1894.

Write about this man who, drop by drop, squeezes the slave's blood out of himself until he wakes one day to find the blood of a real human being--not a slave's--coursing through his veins.

Anton Chekhov

Real, Writing, Men

In descriptions of nature one must seize on small details, grouping them so that when the reader closes his eyes he gets a picture.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Eye, Details

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1987). “The Unknown Chekhov: Stories and Other Writings”

I am writing a play which I probably will not finish until the end of November. I am writing it with considerable pleasure, though I sin frightfully against the conventions of the stage. It is a comedy with three female parts, six male, four acts, a landscape (view of the lake), lots of talk on literature, little action and tons of love.

Anton Chekhov

Love, Writing, Lakes

Anyone who says the artist's field is all answers and no questions has never done any writing or had any dealings with imageryYou are confusing two concepts: answering the questions and formulating them correctly. Only the latter is required of an author.

Anton Chekhov

Writing, Artist, Two

"Comfort reading: Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov" by Chris Power, www.theguardian.com. December 11, 2003.

I abide by a rule concerning reviews: I will never ask, neither in writing nor in person, that a word be put in about my book.... One feels cleaner this way. When someone asks that his book be reviewed he risks running up against a vulgarity offensive to authorial sensibilities.

Anton Chekhov

Running, Book, Writing

Letter to N. M. Ezhov, March 22, 1893.

Anton Chekhov Quotes about Writing

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