To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
When I'm working on a book, I constantly retype my own sentences. Every day I go back to page one and just retype what I have. It gets me into a rhythm.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Revisiting and retyping your work helps create a writing rhythm.
Joan Didion emphasizes the importance of engaging with your own writing repeatedly in order to foster a natural flow and rhythm in the creative process. By revisiting the beginning of her work each day, she cultivates a deep familiarity with her sentences, helping her to maintain a cohesive style and momentum in her writing endeavors.
Themes
WritingCreativityPracticeEditingRhythm
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, the instructor quotes Didion to encourage students to embrace revision.
More from Joan Didion
All quotes →The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
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Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
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It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
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I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
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Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
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