In 2017, we said a sad good-bye to many wonderful, talented authors. We here at Writer’s Relief would like to take a moment to mourn the loss of these gifted individuals and remember their contributions to the literary community. This tribute does not include every great writer who left us in the past year, so in the comment section below, please share the names of any other noteworthy authors you’d like to remember.

Sam Shepard (73) “When you hit a wall—of your own imagined limitations—just kick it in.”

Robert James Waller (77) “Remember the great adversity of art or anything else is a hurried life.”

 Derek Walcott (87) “The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.”

William Peter Blatty (89) “Good writing is rhythm.”

Paula Fox (93) “Words are nets through which all truth escapes.”

Michael Bond (91) “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”

Robert M. Pirsig (88) “Even though quality cannot be defined, you know what quality is.”

Marc Spitz (47) “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.”

Spencer Johnson (78) “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”

Sue Grafton (77) “Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.”