on words - mark twain

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is
really a large matter—if's the difference between the lightning bug
and the lightning.

- Mark Twain

on writing - some thoughts on adjectives

The adjective is the enemy of the noun.   - Voltaire

The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.
– Clifton Fadiman 

When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but
kill most of them — then the rest will be valuable. They weaken
when close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.
- Mark Twain

I think my mistakes were kind of common - leaning on cliches and
adjectives in the place of clear, vivid writing. But at least I knew
how to spell, which seems to be a rarity these days.
- Dick Schaap   

By Francois

on writing - short stories

Short fiction seems more targeted - hand grenades of ideas, if
you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never
forget them. Long fiction feels more like atmosphere: it's a lot
smokier and less defined.   - Paolo Bacigalupi

When well told, a story captured the subtle movement of change.
If a novel was a map of a country, a story was the bright silver
pin that marked the crossroads.   - Ann Patchett

The short story form allows evocation, suggestion, implication.
Its potency often lies in what it does not say.   - Isobelle Carmody

By Janice Wu

a dreamer's wisdom - on writing - persistence

You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript
do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work
out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you
have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only
if you persist.  - Isaac Asimov

Dig until you hit rock. Then take out that jackhammer and go a
little deeper.  - Allison Brennan