There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
Chuck PalahniukRead
I'm always trying to reach a transcendent point, a romantic point, but reach it in a really unconventional way, a really profane way. To get to that romantic, touching, heartbreaking place, but through a lot of acts of profanity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the pursuit of deep emotional experiences via unconventional methods.
Chuck Palahniuk highlights his artistic quest to explore profound, romantic emotions, yet he chooses unorthodox and even vulgar means to achieve those feelings. This juxtaposition of profanity and romance suggests that true depth can be found in unexpected places and that the rawness of life can lead to beautiful and moving experiences.
Themes
TranscendenceRomanceProfanityArtEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a creative writing workshop to inspire unconventional storytelling.
More from Chuck Palahniuk
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If we can forgive what’s been done to us... If we can forgive what we’ve done to others... If we can leave all of our stories behind. Our being villains or victims. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.
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One thing I really envy about my friends who have kids is that as their children develop, they're able to revisit their own developmental stages and recognise themselves and undo a lot of things they decided.
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If you knew that your life was merely a phase or short, short segment of your entire existence, how would you live? Knowing nothing 'real' was at risk, what would you do? You'd live a gigantic, bold, fun, dazzling life. You know you would. That's what the ghosts want us to do - all the exciting things they no longer can.
Chuck PalahniukRead
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