The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “writing”

William Faulkner on Creativity and the Power of Beginner’s Mind
William Faulkner on Creativity and the Power of Beginner’s Mind

“Now I realize for the first time what an amazing gift I had: uneducated in every formal sense, without even very literate, let alone literary, companions…”

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A State of Wonder: Margaret Atwood on How Technology Shapes Storytelling While Obeying Its Eternal Constants
A State of Wonder: Margaret Atwood on How Technology Shapes Storytelling While Obeying Its Eternal Constants

“Everybody is telling a ‘Story of My Life’ to themselves all the time.”

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Virginia Woolf on Why She Became a Writer and the Shock-Receiving Capacity Necessary for Being an Artist
Virginia Woolf on Why She Became a Writer and the Shock-Receiving Capacity Necessary for Being an Artist

“Behind the cotton wool is hidden a pattern… the whole world is a work of art… there is no Shakespeare… no Beethoven… no God; we are the words; we are the music; we are the thing itself.”

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The Inner Light of Creativity: Vivian Gornick on How You Blossom into Being an Artist
The Inner Light of Creativity: Vivian Gornick on How You Blossom into Being an Artist

“I experienced a joy then I knew nothing else would ever equal. Not an ‘I love you’ in the world could touch it.”

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Umberto Eco’s Advice to Writers
Umberto Eco’s Advice to Writers

“If we think that our reader is an idiot, we should not use rhetorical figures, but if we use them and feel the need to explain them, we are essentially calling the reader an idiot. In turn, he will take revenge by calling the author an idiot.”

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Big Magic: Elizabeth Gilbert on Creative Courage and the Art of Living in a State of Uninterrupted Marvel
Big Magic: Elizabeth Gilbert on Creative Courage and the Art of Living in a State of Uninterrupted Marvel

“Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?”

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Poet Jane Kenyon’s Advice on Writing: Some of the Wisest Words to Create and Live By
Poet Jane Kenyon’s Advice on Writing: Some of the Wisest Words to Create and Live By

“Be a good steward of your gifts.”

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Borges on Public Opinion, Literature vs. the Other Arts, and the True Measure of Success
Borges on Public Opinion, Literature vs. the Other Arts, and the True Measure of Success

“When you come right down to it, opinions are the most superficial things about anyone.”

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Art as a Form of Active Prayer and What Writers Really Labor For
Art as a Form of Active Prayer and What Writers Really Labor For

“Immerse yourself in the common ground of the universe so that your true voice — not the egoistic voice that clamors vainly for power (for it will ruin you if you listen to it) — your authentic voice … may be heard.”

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Flannery O’Connor on Art, Integrity, and the Writer’s Responsibility to Their Talent
Flannery O’Connor on Art, Integrity, and the Writer’s Responsibility to Their Talent

“Art never responds to the wish to make it democratic; it is not for everybody; it is only for those who are willing to undergo the effort needed to understand it.”

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