John McGahern Quotes

I've always been a reader and a writer.

When people ask me for secrets to writing, I say, 'Read to write.'

Read as much as you can, and then sit down and write.

You learn to write by reading, and my experiences and tastes as a reader are pretty wide.

You can't write if you don't read.

I think the cardinal rule of learning to write is learning to read first. I learned to write by learning to read.

Reading taught me how to write.

I've found that writers who don't read really can't write.

We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate good writing: by reading.

I guess the important thing for young writers is to read.

Indeed, learning to write may be part of learning to read. For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.

Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.

If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles.

The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.

I like writing books. I really love words. I love to read.

The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading in order to write. A man will turn over half a library to make a book.

I wanted to become a writer. I enjoyed reading as a child.

I believe that writing is derivative. I think good writing comes from good reading.

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.

I spend a lot of time writing. I get inspiration from texts rather than images.

A reading man and woman is a ready man and woman, but a writing man and woman is exact.

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

I started writing as soon as I started reading.

Only a reader can become a writer. Develop a lively intellect and the ability to become interested in anything, no matter how mundane it might seem at first. Look for the story. Develop an eye for detail. Feed your mind and your brain: learn as much as you can about everything you can.

I love to read. But I loved to read a lot longer than I started to love writing.