Writing is necessary. Writing well is important to your professional development.

But, here’s a little secret—writing is difficult. Even the most proficient writers have days when the words simply will not flow. I imagine it was those days when many of these 12 quotes were written …

1. “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ~ Mark Twain

2. “If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.” ~ William Zinsser

3. “Writing well means never having to say, ‘I guess you had to be there.’ ” ~ Jef Mallett

4. “Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it’s just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it.” ~ David Sedaris

5. “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ~ Red Smith

6. “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” ~ E.L. Doctorow

7. “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” ~ James Michener

8. “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

9. “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.” ~ Isaac Asimov

10. “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” ~ Stephen King

11. “Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies.” ~ Terri Guillemets

12. “Write drunk, edit sober.” ~ Ernest Hemingway (allegedly)

There’s no doubt that writing is hard work, but it also can be a rewarding form of creativity. The best way to become a better writer is just to write. As Ray Bradbury said: “Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.”

Kenna Griffin is the blogger behind www.profkrg.com, which aims to create an ongoing educational dialogue between professional journalists and media students and educators. In her spare time she teaches journalism, multimedia, public relations, media law, and media ethics courses as a full-time university professor. Oh, and she is a doctoral candidate in mass communication on the side. A version of this story first appeared on the 12 Most blog.

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