When two people loved each other they worked together always, two against the world, a little company. Joy was shared; trouble was split. You had an ally.
It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your mind, strength, and will, if you don't feel joy and excitement while writing it, then you're wasting good white paper, even if it sells, because there are other ways in which a writer can bring in the rent money besides writing bad or phony stories.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Authentic writing requires personal investment and emotional connection to resonate with readers.
In this quote, Paul Gallico emphasizes the importance of genuine emotional engagement in the writing process. He argues that to truly connect with readers, a writer must infuse their work with personal experiences and feelings, rather than merely focusing on commercial success or producing superficial stories. This passion not only enriches the narrative but also elevates the art of writing, suggesting that authenticity and heartfelt storytelling are essential to capturing an audience's attention.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about the importance of passion in creative work.
More from Paul Gallico
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Beauty is a form of Genius--is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in the dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it.
Poetry is music, and nothing but music. Words with musical emphasis.
There are only four great arts: music, painting, sculpture, and ornamental pastry- architecture being perhaps the least banal derivative of the latter.