I can no more reread my own books than I can watch old home movies or look at snapshots of myself as a child. I wind up sitting on the floor, paralyzed by grief and nostalgia.
Francine ProseRead
All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good writing is about making careful word choices that effectively convey meaning.
In this quote, Francine Prose emphasizes the importance of word selection in writing. The effectiveness of a written piece relies not only on the ideas presented but primarily on the writer's ability to choose the most appropriate words to express those ideas clearly and engagingly.
Themes
WritingWordsSkillChoiceLanguage
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, a facilitator might say, 'Remember, all the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.'
More from Francine Prose
All quotes βWhatβs strange is how many beginning writers seem to think that grammar is irrelevant, or that they are somehow above or beyond this subject more fit for a schoolchild than the future author of great literature.
Francine ProseRead
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