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.
The demands of the time for objectivity and functionality must be fulfilled. If that clearly happens, then the buildings of our day will convey the greatness of which the age is capable, and only a fool will maintain that they lack it.
Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view.
Fandom, after all, is born of a balance between fascination and frustration: if media content didn't fascinate us, there would be no desire to engage with it; but if it didn't frustrate us on some level, there would be no drive to rewrite or remake it.
I wake up from dreams and go, 'Wow, put this down on paper.' The whole thing is strange. You hear the words, everything is right there in front of your face. ... I am always writing a potpourri of music. I want to give the world escapism through the wonder of great music and to reach the masses. ... And I remember going to the record studio and there was a park across the street and I'd see all the children playing and I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead.
The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.
Even though what I do does enter the market, it doesn't interest me. I am exclusively concerned with the formal qualities of my work. It is about the need and the right to self-expression.
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