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There is nothing harder to estimate than a writer's time, nothing harder to keep track of. There are moments—moments of sustained creation—when his time is fairly valuable; and there are hours and hours when a writer's time isn't worth the paper he is not writing anything on.
E. B. White
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Writing time is unpredictable and varies greatly in value.

E. B. White reflects on the challenge of measuring a writer's productivity and the fluctuating worth of their time. He highlights that there are periods of intense creativity that make a writer's time invaluable, contrasted with long stretches of inactivity when their time feels wasted.

Themes

WriterTimeCreativityProductivityValue

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a motivational blog post for aspiring writers who struggle with time management.

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It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
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The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
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All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
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