When I lock myself up to write, I cannot allow myself to think about the censor or the reviewer or anyone but my characters and their story!
Judy BlumeRead
When I'm writing, I'm never trying to teach anything - maybe I'm trying to illuminate.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights that the purpose of writing is not to instruct but to shed light on ideas and experiences.
Judy Blume expresses that her intention as a writer is not to impart lessons or explicitly teach her readers; rather, she aims to illuminate thoughts and feelings, inviting readers to explore and understand themselves and the world more deeply. This perspective emphasizes the role of writing as a form of exploration and connection rather than straightforward education.
Themes
WritingIlluminationExpressionCreativityLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher might share this quote during a writing workshop to inspire students.
More from Judy Blume
All quotes βWhat I remember when I started to write was how I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.
Judy BlumeRead
What can happen if a young reader picks up a book he/she isn't yet ready for? Questions, maybe. Usually, that child puts down the book and says, 'Boring.' Or, 'I'm not ready for this.' Kids are really good at knowing what they can handle.
Judy BlumeRead
Concentrate on how good if feels to be alive. No matter what. Just to see the color of the sky, just to smell the air, and feel the wind in your face
Judy BlumeRead
I wrote 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' right out of my own experiences and my own feelings when I was in sixth grade.
Judy BlumeRead
Nobody ever asks me why my characters don't text each other. Besides, as soon as you put something 'electronic' in a book, it's already out of date by the time it's published: everything will have changed. Human emotion, on the other hand, will never change.
Judy BlumeRead
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