Truman Capote* * *
Being a writer of sorts, I’ve always been interested in what well-known writers have to say about their craft. Following are a few of my favorites, and I agree with each and every one. I must say, though, Capote's is my very favorite.
The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past.
The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past.
-William Faulkner
A written word is the choicest of relics.
-Henry David Thoreau
-Henry David Thoreau
Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.
-Virginia Woolf
Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered potholder.
-Raymond Chandler
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
-E.L. Doctorow
It is the purpose of literature to turn blood into ink.
-T.S. Eliot
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
-Robert Frost
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make.
-Truman Capote
5 comments:
Thanks for your kind words at my blog about my tribute to my late husband.
I have always been fascinated by other writers, the how/why of their writing obession, their pasts, their lives and, of course, their quotes.
Like all the ones you listed, but of those, my favorite is by E.L. Doctorow. Writing a novel is exactly as he describes it, and sometimes seems to have a life of its own. The writer has a vague outline, knows the characters, but once the novel is in progress, things get a little scary and almost (dare I say it?) paranormal -- as if the voices, the story are coming from someplace other than the writer. The MOST creative and imaginative of all writing, it is truly a thrill ride from start to finish. And often, the "outline" falls by the wayside, and what happens is always surprising -- to the writer and the reader alike.
Several here I never heard before, yet all of them are great. Thanks for sharing this.
Very nice quotes from the very best writers!
Hope you're doing good!
C.S.,
I know exactly what you mean! When you're really on a roll, words coming fast and furiously, the characters just seem to take over and you feel you are merely transcribing their words. It is truly a spiritual feeling, and, yes, paranormal.
Michelle and Rhonda,
Thanks so much for your comments!
Wonderful quotes! I hope you saw some of my blog posts abour Brooklyn Heights that I did a few weeks ago (under the label "Brooklyn") Capote lived in the basement apartment at 70 Willow St when he wrote "Breakfast At Tiffanys." I always get a thrill seeing the place where a writer once lived.
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