There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
Chuck PalahniukRead
I write in a noisy, distracting world so the books can be read there.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of creating art despite external distractions, suggesting that art can provide solace in chaos.
Chuck Palahniuk's quote reflects the idea that artists often create their work amidst chaos and distraction, aiming to provide an escape for readers from the noisy world around them. It underscores the power of literature to offer clarity and understanding in times of tumult, highlighting the artist's role in transforming personal experiences into something that resonates with others.
In practice
In a speech about the significance of literature in modern society.
There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
Griping isn't the same as creating something. Rebelling isn't rebuilding. Ridiculing isn't replacing. We've taken the world apart but we have no idea what to do with the pieces.
If we can forgive whatβs been done to us... If we can forgive what weβve done to others... If we can leave all of our stories behind. Our being villains or victims. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.
We're all trapped. It's always 1734. All of us, we're stuck in the same time capsule, the same as those television shows where the same people are marooned on the same desert island for thirty seasons and never age or escape. They just wear more makeup. In a creepy way, those shows are maybe too authentic.
One thing I really envy about my friends who have kids is that as their children develop, they're able to revisit their own developmental stages and recognise themselves and undo a lot of things they decided.
If you knew that your life was merely a phase or short, short segment of your entire existence, how would you live? Knowing nothing 'real' was at risk, what would you do? You'd live a gigantic, bold, fun, dazzling life. You know you would. That's what the ghosts want us to do - all the exciting things they no longer can.
No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.
One of the reasons I paint black people is because I am a black person.
My father was a taxidermist, not a run-of-the-mill profession for a West Indian immigrant. Having given up on becoming a vet, he settled for working with dead animals rather than live ones. Dad was a true craftsman, an artist.
Female characters in literature are full. They're messy: they've got runny noses and burp and belch. Unfortunately, in film, female characters don't often have that kind of richness.
I don't think in art there is ever a precedent; each moment is a new one and terrifying and threatening and bursting with hope.
It would be a lowly art that allowed itself to be understood all at once.
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