Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
– E. L. Doctorow
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
– E. L. Doctorow
It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.
– Ursula K. LeGuin
Posted in Catsignal content
Tagged compassion, hope, imagination, perception, Quotable, Ursula K. LeGuin
Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.
– Melinda Haynes
If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.
– Dorothy Parker
Posted in Quotable
Tagged Dorothy Parker, Elements of Style, favor, happiness, Quotable
Mere literary talent is common; what is rare is endurance, the continuing desire to work hard at writing.
– Donald Hall
A young writer is easily tempted by the allusive and ethereal and ironic and reflective, but the declarative is at the bottom of most good writing.
– Garrison Keillor
Posted in Quotable
Tagged allusive, declarative, etherial, Garrison Keillor, ironic, Quotable, reflective
Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.
– Jessamyn West
I’ll give you the sole secret of short-story writing, and here it is: Rule 1. Write stories that please yourself. There is no rule 2. … If you can’t write a story that pleases yourself, you will never please the public.
– O. Henry
I think I can honestly say that I wrote these yarns for fun. It happens that I like to fool around with ideas like some people do with drill-presses or vegetable gardens or blondes. It’s a hobby.
– Will F. Jenkins
The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.
– Edwin Schlossberg