Geoff Dyer Quotes

I wanted each of my books to be very different from the others, each to be special and uncategorizable, and I knew I could only do that a few times before I was in danger of repeating myself.

Write your own stories.

I prefer writing originals.

Don't write the book you think publishers want to commission. Plenty of other writers will be doing the same thing.

You have to write the story that's at the front of your head. There is no point in trying to write for the market; it won't ring true.

I don't think you can write according to a set of rules and laws; every writer is so different.

I would, however, start writing fiction about 10 years before I actually did, because it's such great fun to do, many times more creative than nonfiction.

The truth is that every writer, whether it's fiction or nonfiction, is trying to write something truly original and that's what I think I'm doing.

I have to believe everything I write is brand new and I'm writing in this way about these people in a completely new situation for the very first time.

A memoir is always the most authentic telling of a situation, but a novel gets to different places.

I don't think there's any topic a writer should feel afraid of tackling just because it has already been discussed. If you feel you have a fresh perspective and an understanding of a certain emotional truth, it's always worth writing.

I really like writing from real-life experiences. Audiences seem to prefer the stuff I couldn't have made up.

Write the story you need to tell and want to read. It's impossible to know what others want, so don't waste time trying to guess.

I'm open to writing just about anything. I love writing the books that I write. They do tend to be on dark subjects, but I don't think of myself necessarily as a dark-humored person. I like having a lot of fun.

Covers are always so fun to do, but there's nothing like telling your own story.

I like to tell my own story using my personality and my insight, the way I see things.

You can only write your own vision.

When you work at a magazine, you have to tell the truth. When you're not working in that format, it's fun to see where your mind takes you when the dictates have nothing to do with anyone but yourself.

Write the book you want to read, the one you cannot find.

What's interesting about writing is the invention, the creative thing. Writing about myself is a yawn.

Write what you would love to read. Finish what you begin to write. Your voice is uniquely yours and we are all waiting to hear it.

They say, 'Write what you know.' What I know isn't cheerleader; it has a little bit of teeth to it.

I hardly ever think about audience. I just try to tell a story for me. I write the kind of story I would like to read.

I'm not on a record like some rapper trying to boast about my clothes or where I'm from. I'm creating stories, experiences, the way places make me feel, the way a person makes me feel.

Writers do draw inspiration from their own lives, which, quite frankly, might be more interesting than fiction.