Obviously you have to make a profit to put out a newspaper. I'm not an idiot. But when the margins are in excess of 25 per cent you're talking about greed.
Carl HiaasenRead
To me, the newspaper business was a way to learn about life and how things worked in the real world and how people spoke. You learn all the skills - you learn to listen, you learn to take notes - everything you use later as a novelist was valuable training in the newspaper world. But I always wanted to write novels.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The newspaper business provided valuable life lessons and skills that helped the author in their writing career.
In this quote, Carl Hiaasen reflects on how his experiences in the newspaper industry taught him essential skills that are applicable not only in journalism but also in novel writing. He emphasizes the importance of listening, note-taking, and understanding human interactions, which all contribute to his narrative style as a novelist. His longing to write novels suggests a pursuit of personal passion despite the pragmatic skills acquired in journalism.
Themes
NewspaperWritingSkillsNovelsLife Lessons
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about career paths, you could mention how journalism can enhance writing skills.
More from Carl Hiaasen
All quotes →As frightening as this may sound, what you see in the books is the way I see the world. And so far I haven't seen anything, either in Florida or elsewhere, to dissuade me from it.
Carl HiaasenRead
Lots of people can write a good first page but to sustain it, that's my litmus test. If I flip to the middle of the book and there's a piece of dialogue that's just outstanding, or a description, then I'll flip back to the first page and start it.
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When you're given a newspaper column, you're not being paid to sit on a fence and scratch your chin and say 'On the one hand this' and 'On the other hand that.' You're getting paid for your opinion.
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The greatest sin for a writer is to be boring.
Carl HiaasenRead
The Florida in my novels is not as seedy as the real Florida. It's hard to stay ahead of the curve. Every time I write a scene that I think is the sickest thing I have ever dreamed up, it is surpassed by something that happens in real life.
Carl HiaasenRead
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