E. L. Doctorow on Writing

“When I'm writing, I like to seal everything off and face the wall, not to look outside the window. The only way out is through the sentences.”

“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that is is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”

“Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.”

“The writer isn't made in a vacuum. Writers are witnesses. The reason we need writers is because we need witnesses to this terrifying century.”

More from E. L. Doctorow