But let us not forget that cities are like human beings. They are born, they go through childhood and adolescence, they grow old, and eventually they die
Elif SafakRead
Bad writing is like a bad relationship. Don't be addicted to it just because you are familiar with its ways. Let go.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and releasing toxic relationships, just like one would with poor writing.
Elif Safak draws a parallel between bad writing and unhealthy relationships, suggesting that familiarity shouldn't lead to complacency in either case. Just as one must evaluate and let go of subpar writing, one should also be willing to detach from relationships that do not serve their well-being, encouraging a process of reflection and release for personal growth.
Themes
WritingRelationshipsLet GoToxicityFamiliarity
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on creative writing, one could use this quote to discuss the importance of critiquing one's own work.
More from Elif Safak
All quotes →I like to question cultural biases wherever I go, and I question Islamophobia as much as I question anti-western sentiment because I think all extremist ideologies are very similar.
Elif SafakRead
Stories cannot demolish frontiers, but they can punch holes in our mental walls, and through those holes we can get a glimpse of the other and sometimes even like what we see.
Elif SafakRead
What i’m saying is, my friends, one ought to be able to let go. If a path does not please us, instead of insisting on going that specific way, of making our selfishness the guide, we ought to forsake. The books we cannot write, the films we cannot shoot, the projects we cannot develop, the jobs we cannot pursue and the people who no longer love us. Being able to let go, at times, is the most beautiful of all!
Elif SafakRead
For me, writing stories is one way of feeling connected to the universe and God.
Elif SafakRead
I write as if I were drunk. It is a process of intuition rather than placing myself above my story like a puppeteer pulling strings. For me, it's a scary, chaotic process over which I have little control. Words demand other words, characters resist me.
Elif SafakRead
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