Don Roff > Quotes

“Nothing's a better cure for writer's block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton.”
― Don Roff

“I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it.”
― Don Roff

“Always mystify, torture, mislead, and surprise the audience as much as possible.”
― Don Roff

“The recipe for great art has always been misery and a good bowel movement.”
― Don Roff

“Nothing says work efficiency like panic mode.”
― Don Roff

“A writer always writes.”
― Don Roff

“If you focus on the humanity of your stories, your characters, then the horror will be stronger, scarier. Without the humanity, the horror becomes nothing more than a tawdry parlor trick. All flash and no magic, and worst of all, no heart.”
― Don Roff

“A migraine is the cockblock of writing.”
― Don Roff

“Writers often torture themselves trying to get the words right. Sometimes you must lower your expectations and just finish it.”
― Don Roff

“If you treat your characters like people, they'll reward you by being fully developed individuals.”
― Don Roff

“Writing a story, regardless of length, begins always with a single word.”
― Don Roff

“I don't use big words to show off because it's ostentatious.”
― Don Roff

“But people in a small town tend to do a lot of talking, even when they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
― Don Roff, Heebie-Jeebies: Volume One

“Regarding the creative: never assume you're the master, only the student. Your audience will determine if you're masterful.”
― Don Roff

“You can be a writer who doesn't read everyday. But you're not fooling anyone. It shows, rather embarrassingly, in your work.”
― Don Roff

“When you're writing what you love, it's the most fun you can have with your clothing still on, unless of course, you write naked.”
― Don Roff

“Kindness, motherfucker, kindness.”
― Don Roff

“Don't think about the writing process too much. Just do one thing: tell the motherfucking story.”
― Don Roff

“Writing is dreaming with your eyes open — and your heart on fire.”
― Don Roff

“Keep being bold on the page, and in life, and people cannot ignore you forever.”
― Don Roff

“Fear and self-doubt are the deadly enemies of creativity. Don’t invite either into your mind.”
― Don Roff

“I've found that busting your ass on a daily basis to make your art good, clear, and meaningful creates the most luck.”
― Don Roff

“It's my belief that people enter your life at exactly the right time.”
― Don Roff

“If you schlep a shit job everyday, keep and feed a little secret life--whether it's writing, art, running, music, your thoughts. It's yours.”
― Don Roff

“Mothman flew away from town, like a giant bat, and then disappeared from sight behind a thicket of skeletal autumn trees.”
― Don Roff, Heebie-Jeebies: Volume One

“There is no right or wrong way to write a novel. Each journey is different for every individual work and for every writer. The first error is never to begin; the second is never to finish.”
― Don Roff

“Any conversation including the mention of Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, or Emily Dickinson is one worth getting into or at least eavesdropping.”
― Don Roff

“We often wait for that knock of opportunity, though I've found it's better to just grab a chainsaw and cut open your own fucking door.”
― Don Roff

“Write about the thing that scares you most or your most private confession and you'll never have a problem coming up with decent fiction.”
― Don Roff

“Writing a first-draft battle scene is akin to real combat—chaos, confusion, and you must keep your cool as you fire word bullets downrange.”
― Don Roff