It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart- kiss me, dear, just once before I lose my dream forever." -Jane-
Edgar Rice BurroughsRead
I knew nothing about the technique of story writing, and now, after eighteen years of writing, I still know nothing about the technique, although with the publication of my new novel, Tarzan and the Lost Empire, there are 31 books on my list.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the ongoing journey of learning and creativity in art, specifically in writing.
Edgar Rice Burroughs' quote highlights the paradox of a creator's journey where, despite years of experience and numerous publications, the essence of mastering the craft remains elusive. It demonstrates how the creation of art, such as storytelling, is a continuous process of exploration and growth, suggesting that true mastery may never be fully attained.
In practice
An aspiring writer might use this quote at a workshop to emphasize the importance of ongoing learning.
It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart- kiss me, dear, just once before I lose my dream forever." -Jane-
Yes, I was a fool, but I was in love, and though I was suffering the greatest misery I had ever known I would not have had it otherwise for all the riches of Barsoom. Such is love, and such are lovers wherever love is known.
It never seems to occur to some people, that, like beauty, a sense of humor may sometimes be fatal.
No fiction is worth reading except for entertainment. If it entertains and is clean, it is good literature, or its kind. If it forms the habit of reading, in people who might not read otherwise, it is the best literature.
Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?
This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and conventionalities. Even clothes were a hindrance and a nuisance. At last he was free. He had not realized what a prisoner he had been.
The best books come from someplace inside. You don't write because you want to, but because you have to.
Drama is exposure; it is confrontation; it is contradiction and it leads to analysis, construction, recognition and eventually to an awakening of understanding.
When I'm working, I'm so narrowly focused on sound, language, rhythm, flow, that I rarely feel the emotion of the text. It's only after - long after - I've finished a piece that I can experience in any way its emotional charge.
Maurice Sendak never - I remember he said something that was very striking because it's something I never thought about. I always loved his work, and he said, 'I don't really view myself as a children's book author. I just try and write about childhood as honestly as I can.'
The number of people who read a poem is not as important as how the poem affects those who read it.
Give me a guitar and I'll play; give me a stage and I'll perform; give me an auditorium and I'll fill it.
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