Top 18 Quotes by Hallie Ephron

Outlining is like putting on training wheels. It gives me the courage to write, but we always go off the outline.

When you put your characters in a dire situation, they often do things that surprise even you, so you have to go back and revise your original conception of who they are.

I'm sharpest early, and though I can rewrite any time, day or night, I'm useless after noon when it comes to writing first draft.

Our house was awash in books, and my mother doled out her favorites like they were special treats - which they were.

When something happens far back in the past, people often can't recall exact details. Blame depends upon point of view. There may be a villain, but reality is frustrating because it's often ambiguous.

The book that made a lasting impression was the one my mother gave each of us when she decided we were ready for our first 'adult novel,' Lucy Maud Montgomery's 'The Blue Castle.'

I haven't given any thought to collaborating with my sisters. It would be great fun. My daughter Molly is a wonderful writer - someday I'd love to collaborate with her.

For me, a good YA novel is the best kind of comfort food.

Phoebe Wolkind Ephron cracked wise like Dorothy Parker and looked like Katharine Hepburn.

I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on, always looking in. It turned out to be great preparation for writing fiction.