It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart- kiss me, dear, just once before I lose my dream forever." -Jane-
Edgar Rice BurroughsRead
I knew nothing about the technique of story writing, and now, after eighteen years of writing, I still know nothing about the technique, although with the publication of my new novel, Tarzan and the Lost Empire, there are 31 books on my list.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the ongoing journey of learning and creativity in art, specifically in writing.
Edgar Rice Burroughs' quote highlights the paradox of a creator's journey where, despite years of experience and numerous publications, the essence of mastering the craft remains elusive. It demonstrates how the creation of art, such as storytelling, is a continuous process of exploration and growth, suggesting that true mastery may never be fully attained.
In practice
An aspiring writer might use this quote at a workshop to emphasize the importance of ongoing learning.
It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart- kiss me, dear, just once before I lose my dream forever." -Jane-
Yes, I was a fool, but I was in love, and though I was suffering the greatest misery I had ever known I would not have had it otherwise for all the riches of Barsoom. Such is love, and such are lovers wherever love is known.
It never seems to occur to some people, that, like beauty, a sense of humor may sometimes be fatal.
No fiction is worth reading except for entertainment. If it entertains and is clean, it is good literature, or its kind. If it forms the habit of reading, in people who might not read otherwise, it is the best literature.
Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?
This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and conventionalities. Even clothes were a hindrance and a nuisance. At last he was free. He had not realized what a prisoner he had been.
Little by little, I've reached the stage of using only a small number of forms and colors. It's not the first time that painting has been done with a very narrow range of colors. The frescoes of the tenth century are painted like this. For me, they are magnificent things.
Poetry is that / which arrives at the intellect / by way of the heart.
Literature could be said to be a sort of disciplined technique for arousing certain emotions.
I can fairly be called an amateur because I do what I do, in the original sense of the word - for love, because I love it. On the other hand, I think that those of us who make our living writing history can also be called true professionals.
The kinds of truth that art gives us many, many times are small truths. They don't have the resonance of an encyclical from the Pope stating an eternal truth, but they partake of the quality of eternity. There is a sort of timeless delight in them.
When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.
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