To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
I have never started a novel - I mean except the first, when I was starting a novel just to start a novel - I've never written one without rereading Victory. It opens up the possibilities of a novel. It makes it seem worth doing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of inspiration in the creative process, particularly in writing.
Joan Didion reflects on the role that revisiting another work, specifically 'Victory', plays in her writing process. She suggests that reading inspirational literature opens up new creative possibilities and motivates her to embark on the often challenging journey of writing a novel. This underscores the idea that writers can benefit from engaging with the works of others to rejuvenate their own creativity and reinforce their motivation.
Themes
WritingInspirationCreativityNovelMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a workshop about artistic inspiration can motivate participants to explore their influences.
More from Joan Didion
All quotes →The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Joan DidionRead
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
Joan DidionRead
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
Joan DidionRead
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Joan DidionRead
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
Joan DidionRead
Similar quotes
Remember always that the composer's pen is still mightier than the bow of the violinist; in you lie all the possibilities of the creation of beauty.
John Philip SousaRead
When you see the films of certain young directors, you get the impression that film history begins for them around 1980.
Jacques RivetteRead
Mere humans who root through their refrigerators at three o'clock in the morning can only produce writing that matches what they do. And that includes me.
Haruki MurakamiRead
I never want to see anyone, and I never want to go anywhere or do anything. I just want to write.
P. G. WodehouseRead
I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.
Mary OliverRead
I really, truly believe that writing comes out of the body; of course, the mind is working as well, but it's a double thing and that doubleness is united. I mean, you can't separate persona from psyche; you just can't do it.
Paul AusterRead