I don't think the world will destroy itself in a nuclear cataclysm. On the contrary, we have the capacity to save ourselves and save the planet, and we will use it.
Isabel AllendeRead
I try to let go of the intellect and just tell the story. I only read the page I have in front of me on the screen. Then when the whole story is told, I print it, wait a week and read it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of storytelling over analytical thought in the creative process.
Isabel Allende expresses a deep reliance on instinct and spontaneity in her writing, suggesting that the essence of storytelling comes from engaging directly with the narrative rather than overthinking it. By focusing solely on the page in front of her, she allows the story to unfold naturally, which she believes enhances the authenticity and flow of her work when revisited after some time.
Themes
StorytellingCreativityIntellectWritingFlow
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, one might say, 'As Isabel Allende suggests, let go of your intellect and just tell the story.'
More from Isabel Allende
All quotes →My mother is a great artist, but she always treated her paintings like minor postcards. Had she pursued it, she would have been a great artist. Instead, she looked down on her art.
Isabel AllendeRead
I never try to convey a message, I just want to tell a story. Why that story in particular? I have no idea, but I have learned to surrender to the muse. I become obsessed with a theme or with certain stories; they haunt me for years, and finally, I write them.
Isabel AllendeRead
My life is about ups and downs, great joys and great losses.
Isabel AllendeRead
I'm interested in people who have to overcome obstacles, people who are not sheltered by the umbrella of the establishment, marginals.
Isabel AllendeRead
I'm a writer. In Latin America, they say I'm a Latin-American writer because I also write in Spanish and my books are translated, but I am an American citizen and my books are published here, so I'm also an American writer.
Isabel AllendeRead
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