“I don't write fantasy; I write historical novels about an imaginary place.”

“If I could sum it up in 50 words, I wouldn't have needed to write a whole novel about it.”

Patrick Rothfuss (1973) American fantasy writer

“There are things I know I know about I don't write about, which I could not responsibly put into my books. Interestingly enough, though, the scariest one of those things is not classified at all. But nevertheless, I don't write about it, because it would make the world a somewhat more dangerous place.”

Tom Clancy (1947–2013) American author

“The hard part about writing a novel is finishing it.”

Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American author and journalist

“Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties.”

John Irving (1942) American novelist and screenwriter

“When I want to read a novel, I write one.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister

“Don't tell me how to write my novel. Don't tell me you've got a better ending for it. I have no time for that.”

Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) American writer

“I write whenever it suits me. During a creative period I write every day; a novel should not be interrupted.”

Francois Mauriac (1885–1970) French author

“You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.”

Gene Wolfe (1931–2019) American science fiction and fantasy writer

“I see myself as a novelist, period. I mean, the material I work with is what is classified as science fiction and fantasy, and I really don't think about these things when I'm writing. I'm just thinking about telling a story and developing my characters.”

Roger Zelazny (1937–1995) American speculative fiction writer