“Possession isn’t nine-tenths of the law. It’s nine-tenths of the problem.”
~ John Lennon, b. 9 October 1940
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Archive | October, 2016
William Zinsser (b. October 7): “Writing is a craft not an art” & other quotes on writing
7 Oct
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William Zinsser, born 7 October 1922, is an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He is best known for the book, On Writing Well.
10 quotes on writing:
- Writing is a craft not an art.
- You learn to write by writing.
- Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.
- Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost.
- Writers must constantly ask: what am I trying to say? Surprisingly often, they don’t know.
- Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose.
- Nothing has replaced the writer. He or she is still stuck with the same old job of saying something that other people will want to read.
- The reader will notice if you are putting on airs. Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.
- Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.
- Many people assume that professional writers don’t need to rewrite; the words just fall in place. On the contrary, careful writers can’t stop fiddling.
Simon Cowell (b. October 7): “Ending the animal trade would leave more time to trap popstar wannabes.”
7 Oct
“The end of the animal trade would leave more time to trap or beat to death pop star wannabes.”
~ Simon Cowell, b. 7 October 1959
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Clive Barker (b. October 5th): “Horror is the wild-dog genre” & other quotes on writing
5 Oct
Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author, film director, video game designer and visual artist known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. He is best-known for his short stories which were adapted for film as the Hellraiser and Candyman series. He has also written 18 novels.
Eight quotes about writing:
- I firmly believe that a story is only as good as the villain.
- Books should make somebody look at how they feel, be honest with themselves.
- Nothing ever begins. There is no first moment; no single word or place from which this or any other story springs.
- Gather experience… Look at what you should not look at. A feeling of anxiety is the sure and certain evidence that you should do this.
- Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion.
- By and large, horror fiction is the most difficult to domesticate because part of the point is that it’s one step ahead – or behind – everybody else’s taste. And I’m not really convinced I’d like it to change. There’s something very healthy about horror fiction being always a little bit on the outside. It’s the wild-dog genre.
- One of the things I’m trying to do over and over again in my books is create new mythologies, create new ways to understand the complexity of the world. I think what mythology does is impress upon chaotic experience the patterns, hierarchies and shapes which allow us to interpret the chaos and make fresh sense of it.
- Movies are much more fascist than books. They tell you what to feel, when to feel it. Popular movies manipulate you. Music tells you when it’s a sad part and when it’s a happy part. You’re obliged to watch them at the speed the filmmaker has created for you. That, I think, is one of the reasons why they’re so popular – because you don’t have to think very hard. The filmmaker has done all the thinking for you.
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