Fundamentally, I think of myself as a storyteller, not a writer.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of storytelling over the technicalities of writing.
Tom Clancy expresses the idea that at his core, he identifies as a storyteller, suggesting that the act of weaving narratives and sharing experiences is what truly drives him. This perspective underscores the belief that the essence of writing lies in the ability to engage and connect with an audience through compelling stories, rather than merely focusing on the mechanics of writing itself.
In practice
During a public speaking event, one might say, 'As Tom Clancy once said, 'Fundamentally, I think of myself as a storyteller, not a writer,' to emphasize the power of narratives in connecting with our audience.
Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.
Of all human lamentations, without doubt, the most common is if only I had known. But we can't know, and so days of death and fire so often begin no differently than those of love and warmth.
The only real difference between a wise man and a fool, Moore knew, was that the wise man tended to make more serious mistakes—and only because no one trusted a fool with really crucial decisions; only the wise had the opportunity to lose battles, or nations.
One thing about flying that he never got used to was that no matter how awful the weather was on the ground, if you flew high enough you could always find the sun.
Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not. Your life may change, but your dream doesn't have to. Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it.
I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.
One should not become an artist because he can, but because he must. It is only for those who would be miserable without it.
You have a lifetime to learn technique. But I can teach you what is more important than technique, how to see; learn that and all you have to do afterwards is press the shutter.
For the writer, the serial killer is, abstractly, an analogue of the imagination's caprices and amorality; the sense that, no matter the dictates and even the wishes of the conscious social self, the life or will or purpose of the imagination is incomprehensible, unpredictable.
I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs because they don't feel like me. So I want to make songs that are timeless.
With stammering lips and insufficient sound I strive and struggle to deliver right the music of my nature.
Now that the black experience isn't viewed as box-office death, people are catching up to untapped auteurs.
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