“But if I were asked to pick one constant, one quality that seems dependable, immutable, endlessly available, I'd say that it was intensity. For nothing in Sicily seems withheld, done half way, restrained or suppressed. There's nothing to correspond to say, the ironic, the cerebral remove at which a Frenchman might consider an idea or a question, or the Scandinavian distrust of the sloppy, emotive response.” IfsWayIdeasDoneSeemsMightHalfQualityPicksConstantResponseAvailableRemoveIntensityIronicDistrustSloppyCerebralDependableFrenchmenHalf WayScandinavians Author:Francine Prose
“Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar can inspire a confrontation with the mystery of time.” KnowsChildrenSeemsSeeingMysteryInspirePhotographFamiliarConfrontationHandwriting Book:Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them Source: Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them
“With so much reading ahead of you, the temptation might be to speed up. But in fact it’s essential to slow down and read every word. Because one important thing that can be learned by reading slowly is the seemingly obvious but oddly underappreciated fact that language is the medium we use in much the same way a composer uses notes, the way a painter uses paint. I realize it may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how easily we lose sight of the fact that words are the raw material out of which literature is crafted.” WayMayImportantFactsUseSeemsMightReadingLiteratureLanguageRealizingLosesMaterialsEssentialsSightDown AndImportant ThingsNotesPaintObviousSpeedMediumsPainterTemptationComposerSurprisingSlow DownRaw Materials Author:Francine Prose
“What’s strange is how many beginning writers seem to think that grammar is irrelevant, or that they are somehow above or beyond this subject more fit for a schoolchild than the future author of great literature.” ThinkingSeemsLiteratureSubjectsStrangeFitIrrelevantGrammarGreat LiteratureBeginning Writers Author:Francine Prose
