The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “writing”

William Faulkner on Writing, the Purpose of Art, Working in a Brothel, and the Meaning of Life
William Faulkner on Writing, the Purpose of Art, Working in a Brothel, and the Meaning of Life

“The only environment the artist needs is whatever peace, whatever solitude, and whatever pleasure he can get at not too high a cost.”

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Samuel Johnson on Writing and Creative Doggedness
Samuel Johnson on Writing and Creative Doggedness

“Composition is for the most part an effort of slow diligence and steady perseverance, to which the mind is dragged by necessity or resolution, and from which the attention is every moment starting to more delightful amusements.”

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David Foster Wallace on Writing, Death, and Redemption
David Foster Wallace on Writing, Death, and Redemption

“You don’t have to think very hard to realize that our dread of both relationships and loneliness … has to do with angst about death, the recognition that I’m going to die, and die very much alone, and the rest of the world is going to go merrily on without me.”

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Charles Bukowski on Writing and His Crazy Daily Routine
Charles Bukowski on Writing and His Crazy Daily Routine

“Writing is like going to bed with a beautiful woman and afterwards she gets up, goes to her purse and gives me a handful of money.”

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Michael Lewis on Writing, Money, and the Necessary Self-Delusion of Creativity
Michael Lewis on Writing, Money, and the Necessary Self-Delusion of Creativity

“When you’re trying to create a career as a writer, a little delusional thinking goes a long way.”

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Anaïs Nin on Writing, the Future of the Novel, and How Keeping a Diary Enhances Creativity: Wisdom from a Rare 1947 Chapbook
Anaïs Nin on Writing, the Future of the Novel, and How Keeping a Diary Enhances Creativity: Wisdom from a Rare 1947 Chapbook

“It is in the moments of emotional crisis that human beings reveal themselves most accurately.”

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Edgar Allan Poe on the Joy of Marginalia and What Handwriting Reveals about Character
Edgar Allan Poe on the Joy of Marginalia and What Handwriting Reveals about Character

“In the marginalia … we talk only to ourselves; we therefore talk freshly — boldly — originally — with abandonment — without conceit.”

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Neil Gaiman’s Advice to Aspiring Writers
Neil Gaiman’s Advice to Aspiring Writers

“You have to finish things — that’s what you learn from, you learn by finishing things.”

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Jorge Luis Borges on Writing: Wisdom from His Most Candid Interviews
Jorge Luis Borges on Writing: Wisdom from His Most Candid Interviews

“A writer’s work is the product of laziness.”

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Ray Bradbury on Writing, Emotion vs. Intelligence, and the Core of Creativity
Ray Bradbury on Writing, Emotion vs. Intelligence, and the Core of Creativity

“You can only go with loves in this life.”

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