I see manuscripts and books that are spoiled for the literary reader because they are one long stream of top-of-the-head writing, a writer telling a story without concern for precision or freshness in the use of language. Some of this storytelling reads as if it were spoken rather than written, stuffed with tired images that pop into the writer's head because they are so familiar. The top of the head is fit for growing hair, but not for generating fine prose.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of precision in writing and the avoidance of clichéd expressions.
Sol Stein critiques the quality of writing that lacks thoughtfulness and originality, suggesting that successful prose requires more than just spontaneous ideas. He argues that good writing should avoid tired clichés and strive for fresh, precise language that engages the reader more effectively, rather than merely rambling in a casual, unrefined manner.
In practice
This quote can be used in a writing workshop to encourage participants to focus on originality.
The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life...The Bible...should be read in our schools in preference to all other books because it contains the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness.
Every book in the world is out there waiting to be read by me.
You have to dream. We all have to dream. Dreaming is OK. Imagine me teaching from space, all over the world, touching so many peoples lives. Thats a teachers dream! I have a vision of the world as a global village, a world without boundaries. Imagine a history teacher making history!
You write for two people, yourself and your audience, who are usually better educated and at least as smart.
What's wrong with our children? Adults telling children to be honest while lying and cheating. Adults telling children to not be violent while marketing and glorifying violence... I believe that adult hypocrisy is the biggest problem children face in America.
I think kids in every minority need to see people like themselves in books; that's an acknowledgment of their existence on this planet and in this society.
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