Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Writing is a consequence of having been 'haunted' by material. Why this is, no one knows.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing emerges from an obsession or deep engagement with material, and its mystery remains unexplained.
In this quote, Joyce Carol Oates explores the idea that the act of writing is driven by an intense connection to the material or themes that inspire the writer. This haunting connection suggests that writers are often compelled by forces beyond their understanding, highlighting the enigmatic nature of creativity and the subconscious influences that shape artistic expression.
Themes
WritingCreativityInspirationMaterialArtistic Expression
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I quoted Joyce Carol Oates to emphasize the drive behind creative writing.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes βI never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Similar quotes
Instead of noting down things Iβm unlikely to forget, I will write a poem. Even if I have never written one before and even if I never do so again, I will at least know that I once had the courage to put my feelings into words.
Paulo CoelhoRead
The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each to himself. And that is the most complicated thing on earth.
Edward SteichenRead
I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.
Truman CapoteRead
Being essentially a creator, I never set out to shock, always thinking about creating my work and not about the benefits it could produce.
Alejandro JodorowskyRead
Building upon the world we created with 'Avatar' has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In writing the new films, I've come to realize that 'Avatar's world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen.
James CameronRead
I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull between reality and the potential of disaster.
Jason IsbellRead