Mani Ratnam Quotes

Never, ever become a writer. It's a nightmare.

Writing anything is terribly hard but, alas for me, because I am addicted, a heck of a lot of fun. I often am sorry I ever started writing prose, because it is so hard. But I can't stop.

Mine is not a story to tell struggling writers.

A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.

I have a problem with beginnings... and endings... and middles. But I don't know what else I would do. I find it very, very difficult to write. It takes everything; it's physically and mentally and emotionally exhausting for me. And my neighbours. And my dog.

I just have to proceed as usual. No matter what happens, nothing helps with the writing of the next book.

I'm not a fast writer, and I find the process of writing a first draft to be painful and frustrating. Usually, I start with a character, a premise, and some image that gives me a particular feeling.

There's a danger in romanticizing what it means to be a writer. Because what it really means is hard, hard work. It means tearing your hair out. Feeling like your head is about to explode.

I have a huge respect for writers and realise that this is not an area that I find easy. I doubt that I would have the patience in front of a blank sheet of paper to become a writer.

My idea of writing is of unflinching and continual effort, somehow trying to find the right words until you reach a point where you can make no further progress and you either have something or you don't.

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.

Every writer I know has trouble writing.

I find writing extremely difficult. I usually have to drag myself to my desk, mainly because I doubt myself. And it's getting harder because I want to improve with every book.

Lots of shows are written completely in the writer's room. And I wouldn't say 'The Walking Dead' is that way. There are three levels to it. There's us in the room. The writers going off by themselves. And me working with the writers on a finished script.

I've always said the hardest aspect of the job of being a writer is writing.

I wish I could write easily. I'm one of those guys who's visited by the muse when things are dire.

Writing has never been that simple for me.

Yeah, writers do hate writing.

You're always looking for good scripts and when they're not always forthcoming you go mad.

No matter how many books you've written, whenever you sit down to write a new book, you always feel the same challenge - how do you shape this story into a book that people are going to love.

With network shows, writers can be so protective of every syllable.

These things are hard to pin down. We work on a script a bit, then work on a different one.

I'm impossible when a book is taking shape. Well, actually, I'm despicable.

I found, after the experience of making 'Shaun Of The Dead' and then returning to the blank page - because 'Shaun Of The Dead' was the first screenplay I ever wrote properly - the experience of returning to the blank page and having nothing in the drawer was intensely painful.

Good scripts have always been, I think, hard to find. Good storytelling, good writing - it's just not easy. I have made it a point that - if I'm going to put the energy into doing this work - I will wait until I find something I'm really happy with.