The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
One truth is the swing of the sentence, the beat and poise, but down deeper it's the integrity of the writer as he matches with the language.
Interpretation
The essence of writing lies in the balance of language and the writer's integrity.
Don DeLillo emphasizes that effective writing is not just about the superficial elegance of sentences but is rooted in the deeper integrity of the writer. Genuine writing resonates when the author skillfully aligns their true self with the language they employ, creating a harmonious interplay that captivates readers.
In practice
In a writing workshop, when discussing the importance of authenticity in personal narratives.
The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
For me, writing is a concentrated form of thinking.
I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. β¨He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way heβs carrying a gun. β¨This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts.
Musicals are plays, but the last collaborator is your audience, so you've got to wait 'til the last collaborator comes in before you can complete the collaboration.
Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.
The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself.
I don't wait to be struck by lightning and I don't need certain slants of light in order to be able to write.
I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me.
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