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Quote by Wallace Stegner

“Every book that anyone sets out on is a voyage of discovery that may discover nothing. Any voyager may be lost at sea, like John Cabot. Nobody can teach the geography of the undiscovered. All he can do is encourge the will to explore, plus impress upon the inexperienced a few of the dos and don'ts of voyaging.”

Quote by Wallace Stegner

Work

On Teaching and Writing Fiction

This book delves into the intricacies of teaching and writing fiction, providing readers with a detailed exploration of the process from concept to completion. It covers a range of topics, including character development, plot construction, dialogue, and the use of language to evoke emotion and setting. Aimed at both beginners and experienced writers, the book serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their skills in the art of fiction writing. more

Author

Wallace Stegner
Wallace Stegner

Wallace Stegner was an influential American historian known for his extensive research on the history of the American West. His works not only documented the pioneering journey of the American West but also profoundly reflected the relationship between humans and nature. Stegner's writing style was unique and his language beautiful, which won him great popularity among readers. more

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“My notion of a failed writing workshop is when everybody comes out replicating the teacher and imitating as closely as possible the great original at the head of the table. I think that's a mistake, in obvious opposition to the ideal of teaching which permits a student to be someone other than the teacher. ... The successful teacher has to make each of the students a different product rather than the same.”

“I have a feeling that art is something you do for yourself, and that any time you turn your decisions over to someone else you're postponing at best, your own development. The atmosphere of the workshop should be that of trying out one's own work and accepting the signals from others but not accepting the dictation of others because that is a violation of the spirit of art. Art can't be done by somebody else, it has got to be done by the artist.”

“I have just been to a city in the West, a city full of poets, a city they have made safe for poets. The whole city is so lovely that you do not have to write it up to make it poetry; it is ready-made for you. But, I don't know - the poetry written in that city might not seem like poetry if read outside of the city. It would be like the jokes made when you were drunk; you have to get drunk again to appreciate them.”