Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all. In the end he knows all the tricks and has nothing to say

Quote by Raymond Chandler

Topics: Art Quotes, Writers Quotes

Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an...

Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant...

It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant...

The more you reason the less you create.

The more you reason the less you create.

I certainly admire people who do things.

I certainly admire people who do things.

The challenge of screenwriting is to say much in little and then take half of...

The challenge of screenwriting is to say much in little and then take half of...

The creative artist seems to be almost the only kind of man that you could...

The creative artist seems to be almost the only kind of man that you could...

The streets were dark with something more than night.

The streets were dark with something more than night.

The overall picture, as the boys say, is of a degraded community whose idealism even...

The overall picture, as the boys say, is of a degraded community whose idealism even...

Television is just one more facet of that considerable segment of our society that never...

Television is just one more facet of that considerable segment of our society that never...

A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.

A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.

The minute you try to talk business with him he takes the attitude that he...

The minute you try to talk business with him he takes the attitude that he...

I knew one thing: as soon as anyone said you didn't need a gun, you'd...

I knew one thing: as soon as anyone said you didn't need a gun, you'd...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

The moment a man sets his thoughts down on paper, however secretly, he is in...

The moment a man sets his thoughts down on paper, however secretly, he is in...

At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed,...

At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed,...

When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his...

When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his...

Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short...

Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short...

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little...

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little...