An interview with, and a new dark thriller novel by, Eric Shapiro.

08 Oct, 2020

"Red Dennis," Eric Shapiro's new novel, is out. I haven't read it yet but the reviews are excellent, which isn't news to me. Eric and I co-founded Ghostwriters Central in 2002. We were partners for some 15 years. While we had this business together, he did an astonishing amount of writing, so I can assure you Red Dennis won't disappoint. He's a passionate and supremely capable writer. Stanley Wheeler interviewed Eric recently. One of his other books, designed to motivate writers to write, is "Ass Plus Seat." What a great title. Sit down and freakin' write. LOL Read Mr. Wheeler's interview with Eric Shapiro here. Best wishes, Eric.

An interview with, and a new dark thriller novel by, Eric Shapiro.

October 8, 2020May 9, 2025

“Red Dennis,” Eric Shapiro’s new novel, is out. I haven’t read it yet but the reviews are excellent, which Read More...

A true author, no matter the medium, is an artist with godlike knowledge of his subject, and the proof of his authorship is that his pages smack of authority.

Robert McKee

You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won’t be able to take a break from being a writer.

Stephen Leigh

The fact is, I don’t know where my ideas come from. Nor does any writer. The only real answer is to drink way too much coffee and buy yourself a desk that doesn’t collapse when you beat your head against it.

Douglas Adams

Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.

Michael Burke

A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God.

Sidney Sheldon

It always comes down to characters, and individual stories about courage.

Steven Bochco

Ever heard of a carpenter not going to work because he has “carpenter’s block”? If a writer can’t write, it’s because he doesn’t really want to, he isn’t ready to get it on paper or he’s just plain lazy.

Chet Cunningham

The character that lasts is an ordinary guy with some extraordinary qualities.

Raymond Chandler

I have a structured songwriting process. I start with the music and try to come up with musical ideas, then the melody, then the hook, and the lyrics come last.

John Legend

No one can write decently who is distrustful of the reader’s intelligence or whose attitude is patronizing.

E. B. White

My aim is to put down what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way I can tell it.

Ernest Hemingway

If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, don’t let some idiot talk you out of it.

Stan Lee

Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.

Lisa See

Writers aren’t people exactly. Or, if they’re any good, they’re a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you start with a bang, you won’t end with a whimper.

T.S. Eliot

Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade, just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.

Truman Capote Quote

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.

G.K. Chesterton

Just don’t be boring!

Robert Liebmann

It is only natural to pattern yourself after someone. But you can’t just copy someone. If you like someone’s work, the important thing is to be exposed to everything that person has been exposed to.

Bob Dylan

To me, movies and music go hand in hand. When I’m writing a script, one of the first things I do is find the music I’m going to play for the opening sequence.