If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
Sometimes, so much of the difficulty is the question of 'What am I going to write about?' because the world is so vast.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The process of finding a topic to write about can be overwhelming due to the vastness of the world.
This quote highlights the struggle writers often face in determining what to write about, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of choices available in a world filled with diverse experiences and ideas. It suggests that the difficulty lies not just in the act of writing itself, but in the search for inspiration amidst the seemingly infinite possibilities.
Themes
WritingInspirationDifficultyChoicesCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop to encourage students to find topics of interest.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes →When I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
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