“It is a fallacy to think that carping is the strongest form of criticism: the important work begins after the artist's mistakes have been pointed out, and the reviewer can't put it off indefinitely with sneers, although some neophytes might be tempted to try: "When in doubt, stick out your tongue" is a safe rule that never cost one any readers. But there's nothing strong about it, and it has nothing to do with the real business of criticism, which is to do justice to the best work of one's time, so that nothing gets lost.” ThinkingTryingHas BeensImportantRealMightFormArtistLostStrongJusticeMistakeDoubtReaderCostSafeCriticismSticksTongueStrongestTemptedBest WorkFallacyReviewersWhen In DoubtSneerImportant Work Author:Wilfrid Sheed
“I don't think you could teach someone to be a genius, but you can certainly teach them to not make rookie mistakes and to look at writing the way a writer looks at writing, and not just the way a reader looks at writing. There are a lot of techniques and skills that can be taught that will be helpful to anybody, no matter how gifted they are, and I think writing programs can be very good for people.” PeopleThinkingWayWritingLooksMatterMistakeTeachTaughtReaderGeniusSkillsProgramVery GoodTechniqueHelpfulGiftedRookies Author:Michael Chabon
“It's a grave mistake in publishing, whether you're talking about Internet or print publication, to try to play to a limited repertoire of established reader interests.” TryingPlayInterestMistakeTalkingReaderInternetGravesPrintPublishingPublication Author:Denis Dutton
“The Library didn't only contain magical books, the ones which are chained to their shelves and are very dangerous. It also contained perfectly ordinary books, printed on commonplace paper in mundane ink. It would be a mistake to think that they weren't also dangerous, just because reading them didn't make fireworks go off in the sky. Reading them sometimes did the more dangeous trick of making fireworks go off in the privacy of the reader's brain.” ThinkingBookSometimesWould BeReadingMistakeBrainSkyDangerousReaderPaperOrdinaryLibraryTricksPrivacyShelvesInkPrintedMundaneCommonplaceFireworksChained Book:Soul Music: (Discworld Novel 16) Source: Soul Music: (Discworld Novel 16)
“I think the best war photos I have taken have always been made when a battle was actually taking place - when people were confused and scared and courageous and stupid and showed all these things. When you look at people right at the very moment of truth, everything is quite human. You take a picture at this moment with all the mistakes in it, with everything that might be confusing to the reader, but that's the right combat photo.” PeopleThinkingHumansLooksMadeWarMomentsMightMistakeTakenStupidReaderBattleScaredConfusedCourageousCombatConfusingMoment Of Truth Author:Horst Faas
“What's impossible not to notice, though - it's all around us - is the diminution of American prose: How pedestrian it has become. Pick up any short story and listen to its voice, the tedious easy vernacular that mistakes transcription for realism. This would display an understandable pragmatism if it were a pandering to common-denominator readers; but it is, in fact, a kind of hifalultin literary ideology, the less-is-more Hemingway legacy put through an up-to-the-minute industrial blender.” IfsKindFactsStoriesEasyVoiceCommonMistakeImpossibleMinutesReaderPicksIdeologyLegacyProseShort StoryDisplayRealismTediousPragmatismCommon DenominatorPedestriansLess Is MoreVernacularBlendersTranscription Author:Cynthia Ozick
“I have to be careful. My readers are very detail-oriented, and if I make a mistake they'll call me on it.” IfsMistakeReaderDetailsCarefulCall MeBe Careful Author:Rick Riordan