I’ve been collecting quotes from writers and editors for the past 18 years or so. In fact, I just delivered a talk at the Michigan SCBWI’s fall conference on Mackinac Island that shared the quotes that I’ve been collecting for the past 18 years. I had about two pages worth of them from various events in Nebraska, Missouri, France, Arkansas and Michigan. Each of them has become a part of my writer’s toolbox. Within a few hours, I had several more from noted author Donna Jo Napoli. She was one of our headliners.
On first drafts:
“The amorphous blob–that’s the emotion. That’s the blood. Your readers is bloodthirsty.”
On switching from the writer’s hat to the self-editing.
Writers are psychopaths.
Writers are a mess.
Editors are neat.
Editors are tidy.
On carving out time to write:
My kitchen floor was so clean you could eat off of it…for a month!
Kristin Wolden Nitz 
One thought on “Some thoughts on writing from Donna Jo Napoli”