Annie Dillard. No matter what, write.

William Wordsworth. Write with passion. Wordsworth advocated, "Fill your paper with with the breathings of your heart."

Alice Walker. Walker recommends meditation for writing, as well as life. She credits meditation for helping her write her books.

James Patterson. "I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished."

John Cheever. Looking inwards and learning from yourself provides great material for writing. "The need to write comes from the need to make sense of one's life and discover one's usefulness."

Agatha Christie. Let your mind go while keeping your hands busy. "The best time for planning a book is when you're doing the dishes."

Francis Bacon. Always carry something to write on. "A man would do well to carry a pencil in his pocket and write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought are commonly the most valuable and should be secured, they seldom return."

Jack London. "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." Sometimes you need to actively seek your sources of inspiration.

Maya Angelou. Follow your instincts and do what you feel you must. "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

Virginia Woolf. "Arrange whatever pieces come your way." Sometimes you have to recognize what you have and make the best of it.

Charles Dickens. Play with your ideas, talk with them, and coax them into a fully-formed creation. "An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself."