One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment. - Hart Crane

Some of the best advice for writers in the 21st century comes from those who have seen their successes and offer advice from their own experience. Let's draw from that brain trust.

On Writing Well

Show don't tell. - Henry James

Don't say the old lady screamed -- bring her on and let her scream. - Mark Twain

Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. - Bernard Malamud

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write a book so when the reader gets to the end of the chapter, he or she must turn one more page. When people tell me I've kept them up all night, I feel like I've succeeded. - Sidney Sheldon

Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion -- many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to begin. - Stanley Schmidt

On Inspiration

Nighttime is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep. - Catherine O'Hara

I know writers who write only when inspiration comes. How would Isaac Stern play if he played the violin only when he felt like it? He would be lousy. - Madeleine L'Engle

If you wait for inspiration, you're not a writer, but a waiter. - Anonymous

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London

The best way to become a successful writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from. - Gene Fowler

Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. - William Faulkner

The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. - Agatha Christie

So this is always the key: you have to write the book you love, the book that's alive in your heart. That's the one you have to write. - Lurleen McDaniel

In the second part in this series we will look at a few words of wisdom from authors regarding writer's Block, motivation and editing skills.