The experienced writer says to the anguished novice: 'Just do it; get something, anything, on to the screen or page, just establish a flow of words, and criticise them later.' You give this advice but can't always take it.
Hilary MantelRead
It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People are often more afraid of the unknown than the known, leading them to fill gaps with their fears and desires.
Hilary Mantel's quote highlights the human tendency to react to uncertainty with fear and imagination. When confronted with a lack of concrete information, individuals often project their anxieties and hopes into the void, creating narratives that reflect their inner turmoil rather than the objective reality. This suggests that knowledge and clarity can help mitigate fears, as people are often more troubled by ambiguity than by facts.
Themes
FearUncertaintyKnowledgeImaginationTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion on public speaking, emphasizing the importance of clarity over ambiguity.
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You can control and censor a child's reading, but you can't control her interpretations; no one can guess how a message that to adults seems banal or ridiculous or outmoded will alter itself and evolve inside the darkness of a child's heart.
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