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Quote by David Foster Wallace

“Some words have to be explicitly uttered, Lenore. Only by actually uttering certain words does one really DO what one SAYS. 'Love' is one of those words, performative words. Some words can literally make things real.”

Quote by David Foster Wallace

Author

David Foster Wallace

American novelist known for his unique literary style and profound insights into modern life. His works include 'Infinite Jest' and 'The Broom of the System'. more

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“You have a great deal of yourself on the line, writing- your vanity is at stake. You discover a tricky thing about fiction writing; a certain amount of vanity is necessary to be able to do it all, but any vanity above that certain amount is lethal.”

Writing Able Certain Lines Deals Fiction Amount Vanity Stakes Tricky Fiction Writing

Book:The David Foster Wallace Reader

Source: The David Foster Wallace Reader

“Postmodern irony and cynicism's become an end in itself, a measure of hip sophistication and literary savvy. Few artists dare to try to talk about ways of working toward redeeming what's wrong, because they'll look sentimental and naive to all the weary ironists. Irony's gone from liberating to enslaving. ... The postmodern founders' patricidal work was great, but patricide produces orphans, and no amount of revelry can make up for the fact that writers my age have been literary orphans throughout our formative years.”

“No one can call themselves a writer until he or she has written at least fifty stories.”

Writing Stories Written Fifty

Author:David Foster Wallace

“I AM A PERSON WHO THINKS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE SPIRIT WHEN I WRITE. I THINK ABOUT WHAT CAN'T BE KNOWN AND ONLY IMAGINED. I OFTEN SENSE A SPIRIT OR FORCE OR MEANING BEYOND MYSELF. I LEAVE IT OPEN AS TO WHAT THE SPIRIT IS, BUT I CONTINUE TO MAKE GUESSES.”

Thinking Writing Persons Spirit Force Known

Author:Amy Tan

“Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down, and write as it occurs to you. The writing is easy-it's the occurring that's hard.”

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Author:Stephen Leacock

“When I finish a first draft, it's always just as much of a mess as it's always been. I still make the same mistakes every time.”

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Author:Michael Chabon

“Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter.”

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Author:Iain Banks

“Writing is an adventure.”

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Author:Winston Churchill

“Writing is just work-there's no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes-it's still just work.”

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Author:Sinclair Lewis

“The writer's duty is to keep on writing.”

Book:My Generation: Collected Nonfiction

Source: My Generation: Collected Nonfiction