The job of the writer is to take a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, the world we all inhabit, and the job of the novel is to make the corpse stink.
Walter MosleyRead
Writing is almost a place of dreams for me, and I don't have to give up anything to do it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing serves as a creative escape that requires no sacrifices.
In this quote, Walter Mosley expresses how writing is a deeply fulfilling and dream-like activity for him, emphasizing that it allows him to explore his imagination and creativity without necessitating any trade-offs. This highlights the liberating nature of artistic expression, where one can delve into their passions freely and joyfully.
Themes
WritingDreamsCreativityExpressionFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a creative writing workshop to inspire participants.
More from Walter Mosley
All quotes βAt one time if you were a black writer you had to be one of the best writers in the world to be published. You had to be great. Now you can be good. Mediocre. And that's good.
Walter MosleyRead
My father cared about the world he lived in, and so he admitted his confusion about his place in America because he didn't want me to make the same mistake in my life.
Walter MosleyRead
Many & most moments go by with us hardly aware of their passage. But love & hate & fear cause time to snag you, to drag you down like a spider's web holding fast to a doomed fly's wings. And when you're caught like that you're aware of every moment & movement & nuance.
Walter MosleyRead
We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.
Walter MosleyRead
All writing is that structure of revelation. There's something you want to find out. If you know everything up front in the beginning, you really don't need to read further if there's nothing else to find out.
Walter MosleyRead
Similar quotes
Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are.
Anais NinRead
The artist produces for the liberation of his soul.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.
Kristi YamaguchiRead
For me, writing stories is one way of feeling connected to the universe and God.
Elif SafakRead
I believe there are two ways of writing novels. One is mine, making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring real life altogether; the other is going right deep down into life and not caring a damn.
P. G. WodehouseRead
I know my voice has a limited range of motion; I don't write dramatic monologues and pretend to be other people. But so far, my voice is broad enough to accommodate most of what I want to put into my poetry. I like my persona; I often wish I were him and not me.
Billy CollinsRead