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Howard Gordon Quotes

Television writer

Howard Gordon is an American television writer known for his work on hit series such as '24' and 'Homeland'. His works are renowned for their tense plots and complex character development.

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All Novel Character Shows Stories Tv Shows Tvs Writing Actors Crafts Novelists

Famous Howard Gordon Quotes

“Her lips were like the soft beauty of a delicately designed silken scarf.”

Lips Scarves

Book:Be Not Thy Father's Son

Source: Be Not Thy Father's Son

“Doing good stuff or stuff that you are proud of takes time and takes effort.”

Stuff Effort Proud Take Time Doing Good

Author:Howard Gordon

“We're not allowed to carry out harsh interrogations anymore, but we're allowed to fly over somebody's village, without due process, and kill them all?”

Process Dues Village Harsh Interrogation Due Process

Author:Howard Gordon

“I feel like a centrist, an issue-specific person. I'm pretty conservative fiscally and pretty liberal on social issues.”

Feels Persons Social Issues Conservative Social Issues

Author:Howard Gordon

“When you're writing a novel, you're still telling a story. But you're telling it very differently. It's a craft like anything else.”

Writing Stills Stories Novel Crafts

Author:Howard Gordon

“I have a ways to go as a novelist. But what's great is, well, I frankly enjoyed the solitude. And I enjoyed being able to tell characters what to say and do without negotiating with an actor.”

Way Wells Character Able Actors Solitude Enjoyed Novelists Negotiating

Author:Howard Gordon

“In a novel, the only budgetary limitations are that of your imagination.”

Imagination Novel Limitation

Author:Howard Gordon

“In a novel, the relationship between writer and reader is such a pure one.”

Novel Reader Pure

Author:Howard Gordon

“In some ways, a novel isn't as structurally rigorous as a screenplay or a TV show, which have finite real estate. In a novel, you can more deeply illuminate a character's interior and get away with digressions.”

Way Real Character Shows Novel Tvs Get Away Estates Tv Shows Interiors Finite Screenplays

Author:Howard Gordon

“When you do a TV show, the cumulative intimacy you develop with the audience through your characters is pretty profound. It may be the most profound storytelling there is, because the character gets to live and roll around in the audience's mind week after week.”

Mind May Character Shows Audience Week Tvs Profound Storytelling Intimacy Tv Shows Cumulative

Author:Howard Gordon

“The novel remains a very special form for me.”

Form Novel Special Remains

Author:Howard Gordon

“I guess I've always been an aspiring novelist. I went to Princeton and wrote a novel for my thesis.”

Novel Novelists Thesis Princeton

Author:Howard Gordon

“TV and film are very different media with different requirements. In a TV show, you have actors and fellow writers and directors, who are interpreting your work. With a novel, you only have ink, words and your reader.”

Different Shows Film Actors Novel Media Tvs Reader Directors Fellows Tv Shows Requirements Ink Interpreting

Author:Howard Gordon

“I knew I wanted to be a writer. Where I came from, no one was a writer. I came from Long Island, and everyone became a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer or a teacher or a businessman. I didn't know any writers.”

Knows Long Wanted Teacher Doctors Lawyer Islands Engineers Businessman Long Island

Author:Howard Gordon

“What is absolutely true is that any good [Television] series has a specific voice. And I think that voice is almost exclusively the domain of the executive producer. . . . As a staff writer you're not being called upon to be the great creative person. You're sort of called upon to understand the characters and their voices and put them through certain paces.”

Thinking Persons Character Certain Voice Creative Television Series Producers Crafts Executives Pace Staff Domain Creative Person

Author:Howard Gordon

“Listening takes practice, and it takes patience. But I promise, if you listen, your story will be better for it.”

Ifs Stories Practice Listening Promise I Promise

Author:Howard Gordon

“I'm a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.”

Policy Members International Council Pacific

Author:Howard Gordon

“I'm one of three brothers.”

Three Brother Three Brothers

Author:Howard Gordon

“I've always wanted to write a novel. It's overwhelming and daunting, and it's one of those things that every writer fantasizes about doing.”

Writing Wanted Novel Overwhelming

Author:Howard Gordon

“Where I came from, no one was a writer.”

Author:Howard Gordon

“Traditionally, people have been adapting novels and short stories forever. Now, they're doing it simultaneously, with an eye towards writing the movie before the novel has even come out or been finished. It's a function of this hyper-accelerated society we live in, where everyone is trying to short circuit the process.”

People Writing Trying Has Beens Stories Eye Process Novel Forever Function Finished Short Story Circuits Adapting Hyper Short Circuit

Author:Howard Gordon

About the Author

Born: March 31, 1961
Known for: Television writer
Quotes: 21

Books & Sources

Be Not Thy Father's SonRelated source material

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