12 Patricia Cornwell Quotes for Writers and About Writing
Here are 12 Patricia Cornwell quotes for writers and about writing from the author of Postmortem, Book of the Dead, and Red Mist. In these quotes, Cornwell shares her thoughts on insecurity, outlining, taking risks, and more.
Here are 12 Patricia Cornwell quotes for writers and about writing from the author of Postmortem, Book of the Dead, and Red Mist. In these quotes, Cornwell shares her thoughts on insecurity, outlining, taking risks, and more.
Patricia Cornwell is an award-winning crime author. She is best known for novels involving medical examiner Kay Scarpetta including Postmortem, Book of the Dead, and Red Mist. She has won several awards, including an Edgar Award, RBA Prize for Crime Writing, British Book Awards' Crime Thriller of the Year, and more.
Cornwell has also written a few nonfiction books, including two about Jack the Ripper that set forth a case against British artist Walter Sickert. She has purchased more than 30 of Sickert's paintings, and her findings have been disputed. For his part, Sickert believed he lodged in a room previously used by Jack the Ripper.
Here are 12 Patricia Cornwell quotes for writers and about writing that cover insecurity, outlining, taking risks, and more.
12 Patricia Cornwell quotes for writers and about writing
"Don't just read other people's books. Go have adventures!"
"I can't imagine outlining a book and then just sitting down and writing it. I think it would lose its emotional being—the effervescence, the sparkle."
"I continue to do research as I'm writing a book, and it all evolves together. I get an idea, and then when I look into it, that gives me other ideas."
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"I get the most done by secluding myself."
"I started out doing poetry when I was young, and I think I have a little bit of a poetic approach to writing a book, where I start with an image."
"I think a little insecurity is a good thing."
"I want you to go through the looking glass of words on the page and be in the world I'm describing."
"Quitting can't be an option. You don't become a writer—you are one."
"The biggest enemy when you have a series is that you get bored with it."
"Writing is hard work. It isn't just sitting around fantasizing, or having a drink with somebody and talking about how cool it would be if you wrote a story. It's work."
"You have to be willing to take risks."
"You should be telling your truth and pulling it out of your soul."

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.