The Liar's Bible Quotes

“Fiction writing starts off by requiring the towering arrogance that enables one to sit down at the typewriter in the belief that someone somewhere will actually be eager to read the productions of our own private imaginations. But that arrogance must be buffered by the humility that leads us to learn our craft and strive to make our work comprehensible and inviting and accessible to the reader.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“fiction works because a part of the mind forgets that it’s fiction while we’re reading it.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“Many of us may not know too much about our characters, but we tell the reader altogether too much.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“novels pass in and out of my hands while volumes of poetry are mine for life.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“any departure from reality that could easily be avoided ought to be avoided.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“When writing functions in this fashion as self-directed psychotherapy, we err if we demand that people be entertained and enlightened by the process.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

“Being broke is not a crime, nor is it proof of one’s inadequacy as a writer or as a human being. If you go around with an attitude of implicit apology for being temporarily without funds, it’s going to do you more harm than good.”
― Lawrence Block, The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers