A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.
Neil GaimanRead
A good writer should be able to write comedic work that made you laugh, and scary stuff that made you scared, and fantasy or science fiction that imbued you with a sense of wonder, and mainstream journalism that gave you clear and concise information in a way that you wanted it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A good writer can evoke a range of emotions and experiences through diverse genres of writing.
Neil Gaiman emphasizes the versatility required of a skilled writer, suggesting that they should not only make the reader laugh or feel fear, but also inspire wonder through fantasy or sci-fi, and deliver clear information through journalism. This highlights the multifaceted nature of writing and the necessity for writers to engage with readers on various emotional and intellectual levels.
Themes
WritingEmotionsDiversityGenresStorytelling
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop to encourage students to explore different genres.
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As a teenager I wrote to R.A. Lafferty. And he responded, too, with letters that were like R.A. Lafferty short stories, filled with elliptical answers to straight questions and simple answers to complicated ones.
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I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.
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