“It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this case, the oxygen for example, would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle would be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches. For a moment we are dazzled by an intense emotion. A pleasant warmth grows within us, fading slowly as time goes by, until a new explosion comes along to revive it. Each person has to discover what will set off those explosions in order to live, since the combustion that occurs when one of them is ignited is what nourishes the soul. That fire, in short, is its food. If one doesn't find out in time what will set off these explosions, the box of matches dampens, and not a single match will ever be lighted.”
― Like Water for Chocolate
― Like Water for Chocolate
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Holly’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Holly’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Holly
Lists liked by Holly





















