Roy Peter Clark Quotes

• If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump; the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a “rolling stop”; the parenthetical expression is a detour; the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead; the dash is a tree branch in the road.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Teacher, Light, Expression

  45 Copy quote

• Writing is not magic. It’s a craft, a process, a set of steps. As with any process, things sometimes break down. Even in a good story, the writer runs into problems. So the act of writing always includes problem solving.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Running, Writing, Magic

  7 Copy quote

• Everyone should read, we say, but we act as if only those with special talent should write.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Book, Writing, Special

  "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer". Book by Roy Peter Clark, January 10, 2008.

  8 Copy quote

• For what good is freedom of expression if you lack the means to express yourself?

  Roy Peter Clark

  Mean, Expression, Express Yourself

  Roy Peter Clark (2010). “The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English”, p.230, Hachette UK

  7 Copy quote

• Having the urge to write is one thing; acting on it is another.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Writing, Acting, One Thing

  Roy Peter Clark (2011). “Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces”, p.10, Hachette UK

  7 Copy quote

• I may have grown up in the Age of Aquarius, but I'm growing old in the Age of the Acronym.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Aquarius, Age, Growing

  Roy Peter Clark (2010). “The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English”, p.219, Hachette UK

  11 Copy quote

• A teacher of mine once said there are no true synonyms.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Teacher, Said, Synonym

  4 Copy quote

• Express your most powerful thought in the shortest sentence.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Powerful, Most Powerful, Sentences

  "The Short Sentence as Gospel Truth". opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com. September 7, 2013.

  11 Copy quote

• Riffing on language will create wonderful effects you never intended. Which leads me to this writing advice: 'Always take credit for good stuff you didn't intend, because you'll be getting plenty of criticism in your career for bad stuff you didn't mean either.'

  Roy Peter Clark

  Mean, Writing, Careers

  5 Copy quote

• Without a serious study of journalism, there can be no understanding of citizenship, democracy, or community.

  Roy Peter Clark

  Community, Understanding, Democracy

  4 Copy quote

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