Jane Smiley Quotes about Writing

Write every day, just to keep in the habit, and remember that whatever you have written is neither as good nor as bad as you think it is. Just keep going, and tell yourself that you will fix it later.

Write every day, just to keep in the habit, and remember that whatever you have written is neither as good nor as bad as you think it is. Just keep going, and tell yourself that you will fix it later.

Jane Smiley

Writing, Thinking, Remember

The desire to write a novel is the single required prerequisite for writing a novel.

Jane Smiley

Writing, Desire, Novel

Jane Smiley (2008). “13 Ways of Looking at the Novel”, p.29, Anchor

Even if my marriage is falling apart and my children are unhappy, there is still a part of me that says, 'God, this is fascinating!'

Jane Smiley

Children, Fall, Writing

FaceBook post by Jane Smiley from Jan 11, 2012

Writing novels is an essentially amateur activity.

Jane Smiley

Writing, Novel, Activity

Jane Smiley (2008). “13 Ways of Looking at the Novel”, p.224, Anchor

Before I write a novel, images float around in my head that work like icons - they are meaningless in themselves, but serve as reminders.

Jane Smiley

Writing, Icons, Reminders

"In the beginning" by Jane Smiley, www.theguardian.com. February 22, 2008.

Well, in fact everybody - everybody - in the entire nation has enough stuff in their life to write about that's interesting that they could write their autobiography. And in the end that's why I find people interesting.

Jane Smiley

Writing, People, Interesting

If to live is to progress, if you are lucky, from foolishness to wisdom, then to write novels is to broadcast the various stages of your foolishness.

Jane Smiley

Writing, Progress, Lucky

Jane Smiley (2014). “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel”, p.14, Faber & Faber

Eavesdrop and write it down from memory - gives you a stronger sense of how people talk and what their concerns are. I love to eavesdrop!

Jane Smiley

Memories, Writing, People

"Fictionaut Five: Jane Smiley" by Meg Pokrass, fictionaut.com. December 29, 2010.

I was asked by an editor to consider writing something about an American inventor. I asked him if he knew who invented the computer. He said he didn't. In that case, I told him, I should write a book about John Vincent Atanasoff.

Jane Smiley

Book, Writing, Editors

"Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novelist Tells the Tale of the World’s First Computer". Interview with Gary Wolf, www.wired.com. November 1, 2010.

I wrote the Dickens book because I loved Dickens, not because I felt a kinship with him, but after writing the book it seemed to me that there was at least one similarity between us and that was that Dickens loved to write and wrote with the ease and conviction of breathing. Me, too.

Jane Smiley

Book, Writing, Breathing

Jane Smiley (2014). “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel”, p.12, Faber & Faber