Quotation

Discussion

When is a book actually read?

“When is a book actually read? In the moment you hold it in your hands and scan the words? I don’t really think so: That moment would be more like the moment you ingest an intoxicant, but not the actual ride that it will take you on. The “event” of “Kubla Khan” is not Coleridge […]

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Joan Didion on Writing

“INTERVIEWER You have said that writing is a hostile act; I have always wanted to ask you why. JOAN DIDION It’s hostile in that you’re trying to make somebody see something the way you see it, trying to impose your idea, your picture. It’s hostile to try to wrench around someone else’s mind that way.

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Quotation from Anne Rice’s Final Interview

“When I’m not at my computer I’m reading almost constantly in my recliner with a gooseneck lamp angled over my shoulder. I’m a diligent underliner and I take notes in the margins almost constantly. This is as true with the books I read for research as it is for the fiction I savor and enjoy

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Quotation: On Outlining a Novel

Related Posts: Quotation: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? Quotation: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser (Again)? Quotation: On Outlining a Novel I thought I had finished this topic during NaNoWriMo (November), but I just found this quotation that provides a nice resolution to the question. When asked “Do you outline your novels?”

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Ray Bradbury on Writing

For this final day of NaNoWriMo, here are some words of wisdom from one of the most prolific and best known American authors. “if you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer. It means you are so busy keeping one eye on the commercial market, or

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Steph Cha on Writing Process

Steph Cha starts her day by reading and writing Yelp reviews. “That’s where I get my junky habitual writing done, which has been really helpful to me. I’ve been doing it my whole career. I’ve Yelped every restaurant I’ve ever been to. I also Yelped an eye doctor today. It’s just a habit I’ve always

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Quotation: On Outlining a Novel

With a nod to NaNoWriMo, this month’s quotations focus on how novelists approach the process of creating a novel. Last week featured two quotations from writers who don’t outline their novels, so it’s only fair to include a representative from the other side of the issue here: “I do a very concise outline. Part of

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stack of books and open notebook. Label: Quotation

Quotation: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser (Again)?

Related Post: Quotation: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? “Like many writers I know, I do not (so far) outline my work in advance. I begin a novel with a destination in mind but the route is vague. Any attempt to map the journey will, I worry, render the unwritten pages artificial and ridiculous.”

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stack of books and open notebook. Label: Quotation

Quotation: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?

Those of you participating in NaNoWriMo will know what that question means: Do you plot out your novel beforehand, or do you compose by the seat of your pants? As a nonfiction writer, I’m way over on the plotter side of this spectrum. However, I have had the experience of writing in flow, during which

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