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Quote by Joyce Carol Oates

“When I complete a novel I set it aside, and begin work on short stories, and eventually another long work. When I complete that novel I return to the earlier novel and rewrite much of it. In the meantime the second novel lies in a desk drawer.”

Quote by Joyce Carol Oates

Book:Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates

Work

Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates

Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates is a compilation of insightful discussions with the celebrated American author. The book offers a glimpse into Oates' creative mind, exploring her perspectives on literature, her writing techniques, and the evolution of her career. It provides a comprehensive look at her life and work, offering readers a deeper understanding of the author's thoughts and influences. more

Author

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is a renowned American author born on June 16, 1938. Her works span various literary forms such as novels, poetry, and drama, known for her unique narrative techniques and profound thematic explorations. more

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“When I was very little, four or five, I did comic strip drawings, so my first novel had no words. I couldn't write and thought adult handwriting was a mysterious scribble. When I was 14, my grandmother gave me a typewriter and I started writing in a different way.”

Way Writing Firsts Littles Different Novel Five Four Adults Drawing Mysterious Comic Different Ways Grandmother My Grandmother Typewriters Handwriting Comic Strips Scribbles

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“When I wrote 'We Were The Mulvaneys,' I was just old enough to look back upon my own family life and the lies of certain individuals close to me, with the detachment of time. I wanted to tell the truth about secrets: How much pain they give, yet how much relief, even happiness we may feel when at last the motive for secrecy has passed.”

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Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“When my brother called to inform me, on the morning of May 22, 2003, that our mother Caroline Oates had died suddenly of a stroke, it was a shock from which, in a way, I have yet to recover.”

Way May Mother Morning Brother Died My Brother Shock Strokes

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“When you are writing literary writing, you are communicating something subtextual with emotions and poetry. The prose has to have a voice; it's not just typing. It takes a while to get that voice.”

Writing Voice Emotion Communicate Prose Typing

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“Writers and artists never pay attention to advice given by their elders, quite rightly. The only worthwhile advice is the most general: Keep trying, don't give up, don't be discouraged, don't pay attention to detractors. Everyone knows this.”

Knows Giving Trying Artist Given Pay Attention Advice Giving Up Pay Attention Worthwhile Elders Discouraged Keep Trying Don't Give Up

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“Writers are notoriously unable to know about themselves. Faulkner thought 'The Fable' was his best novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald liked 'Tender Is the Night,' an experimental novel.”

Knows Night Novel Fables Tender Is The Night Scott Fitzgerald Best Novel

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“Yes, 'Black Girl/White Girl' might be described as a 'coming-of-age' novel, at least for the survivor Genna. It is also intended as a comment on race relations in America more generally: we are 'roommates' with one another, but how well do we know one another?”

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Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“Yes, I've listened to just a few audiobooks - but hope to listen to more. I've wanted to investigate how my own books sound in this format and find the experience of listening, and not reading, quite fascinating.”

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Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

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Book:An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer

Source: An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer

“We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don't want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential.”