And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good writers observe and recognize potential stories in everyday life that most people overlook.
This quote emphasizes the idea that creativity in writing is not solely about talent, but about the ability to notice the subtleties and stories in everyday experiences. While many people pass by numerous opportunities for inspiration without a second thought, skilled writers are those who actively engage with and see the narratives unfolding around them, capturing thoughts and observations that can be crafted into compelling stories.
Themes
WritingCreativityStorytellingObservationImagination
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, to encourage students to pay attention to their surroundings.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
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Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
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The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
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You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
Orson Scott CardRead
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Orson Scott CardRead
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Look sharply after your own thoughts. They come unlooked for, like a new bird seen on your trees, and, if you turn to your usual task, disappear; and you shall never find that perception again; never, I say-but perhaps years, ages, and I know not what events and worlds my lie between you and its return.
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I learned that good judgment comes from experience and that experience grows out of mistakes.
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