10 Quotes on Writing by E. L. Doctorow

E. L. Doctorow was an American novelist, editor and academic. He was best known for his works of historical fiction. He published 12 novels and four collections of short stories. His most well-known books include Ragtime and The Book of Daniel.

E. L. Doctorow on Writing

“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.”

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E. L. Doctorow

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

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E. L. Doctorow

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

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E. L. Doctorow

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

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E. L. Doctorow

“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.”

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E. L. Doctorow

“Writing is immensely difficult. The short forms especially.”

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E. L. Doctorow

“One of the things I had to learn as a writer was to trust the act of writing. To put myself in the position of writing to find out what I was writing.”

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E. L. Doctorow

“I've known several cases of writers who decide to write about something and they research the hell out of it and when they're ready to write, they can't move because they are so burdened. I start writing. Whatever I need somehow comes to hand.”

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E. L. Doctorow

“I thought of myself as a writer for years before I got around to writing anything.”

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E. L. Doctorow

“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.”

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E. L. Doctorow

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