writertype

May 07

http://www.retronaut.com/2013/05/preparing-to-explore-the-wreck-of-the-lusitania/

John Coltrane

“A character, first of all, is the noise of his name, and all the sounds and rhythms that proceed from him. We pass most things in novels as we pass things on a train. The words flow by like the scenery. All is change. But there are some points in a narrative which remain relatively fixed; we may depart from them, but soon we return, as music returns to its theme. Characters are those primary substances to which everything else is attached.” — William Gass (via Joseph Scapellato)

(Source: indiebound.org, via mttbll)

“Whether or not a piece works isn’t really important, and frankly I can’t tell. I mean—you know when something is going well, the prose is good and you know when you get into the dumps. But to know if a piece really works? You might not know for two years. That’s the leap of faith, right? That’s why we’re afraid of novels. We get into this thing and we might not know if it works for five years. Or ten. It’s risky. But the thing is—those five years are going to pass anyway. Whether or not you’re in there with a novel, those five years are going to pass. And then you’re gonna die. At some point you’re gonna die. So, you can not write your novel and die, or you can write your novel and die. You might as well write.” — Sam Ligon (via mttbll)

(Source: rwwsoundings.com, via mttbll)