I'm not a writer on a mission, and I'm very suspicious of writers on missions, but I'm also not living a false life.
Marlon JamesRead
The fiction writer in me likes gaps in stories because I can jump into that gap and try to suggest something.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The author appreciates the unfinished aspects of narratives, using them as opportunities for creativity.
Marlon James expresses the idea that gaps or unfinished portions in a story are not limitations but rather invitations for writers to explore and contribute their own interpretations or narratives. This perspective highlights the creative freedom that fiction allows, as writers can fill these gaps with their imagination and personal insights.
Themes
FictionGapsStorytellingCreativityWriter
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared a quote by Marlon James to encourage participants to embrace the unknown in their narratives.
More from Marlon James
All quotes βIf your depiction of loss doesn't make the reader feel loss, then you didn't depict it right.
Marlon JamesRead
I always tell my students to complicate your characters: never make it easy for the reader. Nobody is ever one thing. That's what makes characters compelling.
Marlon JamesRead
Not every gay person recites poetry or has read Keats. You can get readers through anything if the characters are complicated. You can't dismiss Josey Wales' quite liberal worldview.
Marlon JamesRead
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What my character is or how many jails I have lounged in, or wards or walls or wassails, how many lonely-heart poetry readings I have dodged, is beside the point. A man's soul or lack of it will be evident with what he can carve upon a white sheet of paper.
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No eyes that have seen beauty ever lose their sight.
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Acting became more than a profession to me. It became a sort of religion.
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To hold a pen is to be at war.
VoltaireRead