There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
And there was that poor sucker Flaubert rolling around on his floor for three days looking for the right word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Finding the perfect word can be a challenging and time-consuming process for writers.
This quote by Dorothy Parker highlights the struggles that writers often face in their quest for the perfect word to convey their thoughts and emotions. It suggests that the pursuit of precise language can be as laborious and frustrating as it is necessary, illustrating the deep commitment writers have to their craft.
Themes
WritingWordsCreativityExpressionLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, a participant might say, 'As Dorothy Parker noted, even Flaubert struggled with finding the right words.'
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes βMy land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
Dorothy ParkerRead
They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
Dorothy ParkerRead
It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I canβt write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Similar quotes
I do not like to write - I like to have written.
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You might 'write from the heart,' but you'd better polish with your brain.
Margaret AtwoodRead
When I finish a first draft, it's always just as much of a mess as it's always been. I still make the same mistakes every time.
Michael ChabonRead
Semicolons . . . signal, rather than shout, a relationship. . . . A semicolon is a compliment from the writer to the reader. It says: "I don't have to draw you a picture; a hint will do."
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When you write, you lay out a line of words. _x000D_ Soon you find yourself deep in new territory.
Annie DillardRead
Above all, have a good time. If you arenβt enjoying writing it, you can hardly expect someone else to enjoy reading it.
Tom RobbinsRead