18 motivational quotes on writing to get you through the week

Motivation can be tough to come by. Sometimes you just need that extra push, the proverbial nudge to get your butt in gear and start grinding on your manuscript. Whether it’s a lack of motivation preventing you from taking action or one of those days where everything is going wrong, here are some motivational quotes about writing for when you feel like throwing your laptop out the window.

1. “There are no rules for good writing, there are only good writers.”

- Somerset Maugham

2. “A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God.”

- Brandon Sanderson

3. “I have written myself into my stories, and I like to think that one of the things my readers like about my writing is the feeling they get when they know it’s me.”

- David Mitchell

4. “The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or to say a new thing in an old way.”

- Phillip Pullman

5. “The first draft of anything is shit.”

- Ernest Hemingway

6. “I write as a form of prayer. Writing is an intimation of immortality.”

- Mary Gordon

7. “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

- E.L. Doctorow

8. “Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas. You never will.”

- Isaac Asimov

9. “There is no such thing as a perfect manuscript; it’s an illusion we writers like to convince ourselves of, to make the crippling failure of the blank page easier.”

- William Gibson

10. “Every profession is a conspiracy against the laity.”

- George Orwell

11. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates. It’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and living in a manner of speaking through time.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

12. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates. It’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and living in a manner of speaking through time.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

13. “Writing is the only socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

- E.L. Doctorow

14. “Do not fear to write badly about what you intensely love.”

- Aldous Huxley

15. “A writer can learn much from a child: spontaneity, exuberance, honesty. Unfortunately, a writer can also be the cause of considerable embarrassment.”

- Lemony Snicket

16. “I could say I don’t work at writing, but that would suggest there is a point where it becomes a chore and I’d never want to reach that stage. So let’s say I don’t want to write because that sounds more dramatic.”

- Neil Gaiman

17. “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”

- Emile Zola

18. “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

And there you have it! Have any quotes to add? Share in the comments below. Or, if you’re looking for more motivational writing quotes, check out these articles from writer’s digest and wise geek. Good luck, writers!