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Ngaio Marsh

Ngaio Marsh Biography

Writer

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“Внезапно он понял, что потребность рассказать все именно ей и возникла оттого, что она придавала этой истории так мало значения. Сочувствие только бы усилило мрачность переживания. А равнодушие к его навязчивым страхам заставило впервые задуматься, уж не являются ли они просто ненужным преувеличением чувств.”

True
Book:Death and the Dancing Footman
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“Please don't entertain for a moment the utterly mistaken idea that there is no drudgery in writing. There is a great deal of drudgery in even the most inspired, the most noble, the most distinguished writing. Read what the great ones have said about their jobs; how they never sit down to their work without a sigh of distress and never get up from it witout a sigh of relief. Do you imagine that your Muse is forever flamelike -- breathing the inspired word, the wonderful situation, the superb solution into your attentive ear? ... Believe me, my poor boy, if you wait for inspiration in our set-up, you'll wait for ever.”

WritingInspirationCreative Process
Book:Death on the Air and Other Stories
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“Look here,' said Nigel suddenly, 'let's pretend it's a detective novel. Where would we be by this time? About halfway through, I should think. Well, who's your pick' 'I am invariably gulled by detective novels. No herring so red but I raise my voice and give chase.' 'Don't be ridiculous.' said Nigel. 'Fact. You see in real detection herrings are so often out of season.' 'Well, never mind, who's your pick?' 'It depends on the author. If it's Agatha Christie, Miss Wade's occulted guilt drips from every page. Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter would plump for Pringle, I fancy. Inspector French would go for Ogden. Of course, Ogden, on the face of it, is the first suspect.”

SuspectsDetective Novels
Book:Death in Ecstasy
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“Any faithful account of police investigations, in even the most spectacular homicide case would be abysmally dull. I should have thought you'd seen enough of the game to realize that. The files are a plethora of drab details, most of them entirely irrelevant. Your crime novelist gets over all that by writing grandly about routine work and then seleting the essentials. Quite rightly. He'd be the world's worst bore if he did otherwise.”

Crime FictionPolice Procedure
Author:Ngaio Marsh
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“Why do you want to become an author? I will accept only one answer. If it is because you feel you can write better than you can do anything else then go ahead and do it without frills and flourishes. Stick to your present job and write in your spare time: but do it as if it is a whole time job.”

IfsWantFeelsWritingWholeJobsCan DoAnswersAcceptingSticksSparesBetter Than YouSpare TimeFrills
Book:Death on the Air and Other Stories
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