“Think of your novel as like a sitcom. Every character has to be interesting enough [to] have a spin-off show.”
– Tayari Jones, The Writer, Oct 2012
“Think of your novel as like a sitcom. Every character has to be interesting enough [to] have a spin-off show.”
– Tayari Jones, The Writer, Oct 2012
“The fact is that the materials of the fiction writer are the humblest. Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn’t try to write fiction. It’s not a grand enough job for you.”
— Flannery O’Connor, American novelist, 1925-64
“A story is finished when the mystery of the character has been revealed. That’s what Flannery O’Connor wrote at least, and she tends to get it right. And no mystery can be revealed if the character isn’t challenged to come to terms with what makes her alive: the desires that get her up in the morning in the first place, whether she understands them or not.”
— Michelle Hoover, in The Duplicity of A Character’s Desire, Writer Unboxed, 3/20/16
(Illustration: pastel on garnet paper, by Leslie)
I’m enjoying picking a theme for the month’s quotes, and hope you are, too. By the way, if you come across a quote you love about writing, art, or creativity that you’d like to share, send it to me at leslie@lesliebudewitz.com — merci!
“Surely the test of a novel’s characters is that you feel a strong interest in them and their affairs—the good to be successful, the bad to suffer failure.”
— Mark Twain
(Photo: My latest box of characters, officially out June 8 but already available in some outlets!)