The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
I am suspicious of writers who go looking for issues to address. Writers are neither preachers nor journalists. Journalists know much more than most writers about what's going on in the world. And if you want to change things, you do journalism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writers should focus on crafting stories rather than seeking out issues to promote.
In this quote, A. S. Byatt emphasizes the distinction between writers and journalists. While journalists investigate issues and report facts to instigate change, writers are artists who create narratives that may reflect or challenge societal issues without the primary aim of activism. Byatt suggests that writers should not force themselves to address issues but instead focus on the art of storytelling, as this allows for a more genuine exploration of themes and ideas.
Themes
WritingJournalismIssuesStoriesArtChange
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, to discuss the role of writers, I might quote A. S. Byatt to emphasize the importance of storytelling over issue-oriented writing.
More from A. S. Byatt
All quotes βIt's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginations. It really makes me angry.
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
A. S. ByattRead
Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
A. S. ByattRead
Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
A. S. ByattRead
I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
A. S. ByattRead
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