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Novel Quotes

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Novel Quotes

“Cut like crazy. Less is more. I've often read manuscripts - including my own - where I've got to the beginning of, say, chapter two and have thought: “This is where the novel should actually start.” A huge amount of information about character and backstory can be conveyed through small detail. The emotional attachment you feel to a scene or a chapter will fade as you move on to other stories. Be business-like about it.”

Feels Should Two Character Stories Moving My Own Novel Cutting Crazy Information Emotional Huge Amount Scene Including Details Attachment Fades Chapters Manuscripts Less Is More Small Details

Author:Sarah Waters

“Deep attention, the cognitive style traditionally associated with the humanities, is characterized by concentrating on a single object for long periods (say, a novel by Dickens), ignoring outside stimuli while so engaged, preferring a single information stream, and having a high tolerance for long focus times. Hyper attention is characterized by switching focus rapidly among different tasks, preferring multiple information streams, seeking a high level of stimulation, and having a low tolerance for boredom.”

“My mother read secondarily for information; she sank as a hedonist into novels. She read Dickens in the spirit in which she would have eloped with him.”

Spirit Mother Reading Novel Information Dickens Hedonist

Author:Eudora Welty

“When you write a book, you want to have fidelity to the character. Characters and their emotions guide the structure of the novel. The author is aware that there's a certain amount of information she/he has to provide in order to satisfy the reader, knowing that she/he has set something up that must be paid off, but this payment must be made while maintaining fidelity to the characters.”

Want Writing Made Book Character Certain Order Emotion Novel Knowing Information Reader Amount Paid Structure Guides Maintaining Payment Fidelity Paid Off

Author:David Bezmozgis

“In almost every thriller, a point is reached when someone, usually calling from a phone booth, telephones with a vital piece of information, which he cannot divulge by phone. By the time the hero arrives at the place where they had arranged to meet, the caller is dead, or too near death to tell. There is never an explanation for the reluctance of the caller to impart his message in the first place.”

Firsts Novel Pieces Mystery Information Hero Calling Messages Phones Explanation Telephones Thrillers Impart Reluctance Near Death Mystery Novels Divulge Phone Booth

Book:Speedboat

Source: Speedboat

“I'm inspired by dreams and shadows, obsession and desire. By nature, I'm a dream collector and never stop working. I question people about their weirdest dreams and the strangest, most inexplicable experiences they've had. All this information whirls around in my mind, and new dreams emerge that form the seeds of stories and novels.”

People Mind Stories Dream Form Desire Novel Information Shadow Inspired Seeds Obsession Collectors Inexplicable

Author:Storm Constantine

“We live in a cluttered culture, a culture of information in which even our computers can't tell us what's worth knowing and what is merely cultural scrap. In such a society, we don't have the experience of contemplative space, of the time or mood to engage a book of poetry or even read a novel. Who can achieve the unconscious-conscious state of the reader when everything is stimulation, everything is movement and information?”

Book States Culture Space Novel Knowing Achieve Information Movement Reader Computer Conscious Mood Unconscious Scrap Contemplative Stimulation

Author:T.C. Boyle

“I'd be surprised if non-fiction writers hate to be interviewed. We all hate them, because there's really nothing to say except "Read the book." Right? At least with non-fiction, you can kind of convey some information, and people can decide for themselves whether they want more of that kind of information. But with a novel, what am I going to do?”

People Ifs Want Kind Book Hate Fiction Novel Information Non Fiction Fiction Writers

Author:Jonathan Franzen

“Certain kinds of things that the novel used to do, which was, "Oh, I'm living out here in West Nowhere, Nebraska and I'm curious how the upper class in New York City lives, I guess I'll read a novel about it." We don't have to do that now. You just turn on the TV. Turn on Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous. You can get that information anywhere. Novels don't have to do that anymore.”

Kind Used Certain Turns Cities Class Novel Rich Information New York Tvs West Lifestyle Curious New York City Turn-on City Life Upper Class Nebraska

Author:Jonathan Franzen

“I didn't know how story worked. So, when writing the screenplay, people introduced me to the science of it. And I'm grateful. I'll probably use that information for the rest of my career, in terms of writing novels or writing stories. And then, of course, to help me live a better story, a more meaningful story”

People Knows Writing Helping Stories Use Courses Term Careers Novel Know How Information Grateful Meaningful Help Me Screenplays Writing Stories

Author:Donald Miller

“The script in many ways is limiting and novel is liberating. You get to go into the heads of your characters and their background and have fun with them; something you are discouraged from doing with a script. With the novel, I can tell you what the characters are thinking, I can tell you their view of the world, background information, things I wouldn't dare touch in the script.”

Thinking World Way I Can Character Fun Views Novel Information Scripts Dare Backgrounds Having Fun Discouraged Liberating

Author:Juliet Asante

“I think that when people read fiction, they're really reading for wisdom. I am. That's what most of us really love. If we read a novel that rocks our world, it's because there's something in it that we didn't know already. Not just information but really wisdom - sort of what to do with our information. And wisdom comes from experience.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows World Reading Fiction Novel Rocks Information Our World

Author:Barbara Kingsolver

“The 'information novel' shouldn't be a curiosity. It should be absolutely mainstream.”

Should Novel Information Curiosity Mainstream

Author:Richard Powers

“For me, with any character, there are different ways that you approach understanding him, and in this film in particular, because I had the novel to refer to. It's always really helpful to have all of that information and all of those hundreds more words which give you an idea into the background and your character and all.”

Way Giving Ideas Different Character Film Understanding Novel Information Particular Approach Backgrounds Different Ways Helpful Understanding Him

Author:Asa Butterfield

“I seldom read anything that is not of a factual nature because I want to invest my time wisely in the things that will improve my life. Don't misunderstand; there is nothing wrong with reading purely for the joy of it. Novels have their place, but biographies of famous men and women contain information that can change lives.”

Men Want Joy Reading Novel Information Men And Women Life Changing My Time Biographies Factual

Book:Inspiration from the Top

Source: Inspiration from the Top