Patrick Rothfuss Quotes

Some stories or passages are more difficult and demand more fussing with than others, but, in general, I'm a two-draft writer rather than a six-draft writer, or whatever.

I write slowly. I actually write quickly, but I throw out so much material.

I don't write quickly, and I don't want to.

There's no reason you should write any novel quickly.

There are days when the result is so bad that no fewer than five revisions are required. In contrast, when I'm greatly inspired, only four revisions are needed.

During the day, if I don't have any other commitments, I'm usually at my desk writing, revising, or researching anywhere from four to six hours.

I edit as I write. I revise endlessly. I don't go forward until I know that what I've written is as good as I can make it.

I have a problem with blogs - all the best writers benefit from edits.

There are many challenges I face while working on a book. Working within deadlines and schedules is certainly one of the bigger ones for me. I want to create the best possible book I can for my readers with words and pictures - and that takes time to get it just right.

If you get a sense that your writing isn't quite working, change it. Or cut it out. Don't just tell yourself it'll do, because it won't.

I've never been a believer in the word-count thing. I write slowly and tinker with the words and the word order, and I throw a lot of stuff out.

What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.

Manuscript: something submitted in haste and returned at leisure.

There are writers whose first drafts are so lean, so skimpy, that they must go back and add words, sentences, paragraphs to make their fiction intelligible or interesting. I don't know any of these writers.

When I write a book, I'm making it the best book I can.

Give me good writing, and I'll play it all day.

I always want to make sure the book I'm writing is the best book I can deliver.

I'm sure every author has their own process.

I write slowly. I can't move on until I've got a paragraph right.

Mainly I love working on good writing.

I'm just a slow writer. I'm picky and careful and fastidious.

Half your battle is won when the writing is good, and then you as an artist bring your personality into it.

I love having written. Sometimes I love writing. I love to revise. Revising is my favorite part of writing.

I have rewritten — often several times — every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers.

Swoopers write a story quickly, higgledy-piggledy, crinkum-crankum, any which way. Then they go over it again painstakingly, fixing everything that is just plain awful or doesn’t work. Bashers go one sentence at a time, getting it exactly right before they go on to the next one. When they’re done they’re done.