It is in their 'good' characters that novelists make, unawares, the most shocking self- revelations.
C. S. LewisRead
Novel-writing can be a cold-blooded business. One uses whatever happens to be lying around in memory and employs it to suit one’s end….Then, again, during the months whilst one is writing about the past, a story is colored by what presently is happening to its writer. So, imperceptibly, the tone of voice changes, original intentions slip away. And I found myself looking through another window at a darker landscape inhabited by neither the present nor the past.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Novel writing is influenced by both past experiences and current emotions, altering the original intentions of the writer.
In this quote, J. L. Carr reflects on the complex process of novel writing, where memories and current realities intertwine. He suggests that as a writer engages with their past to create a narrative, the present circumstances inevitably seep into the storytelling, transforming the tone and focus of the work in unexpected ways. This highlights the dynamic nature of creativity, where personal experiences shape and reshape the art being produced.
Themes
NovelWritingMemoriesPresentStoriesCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a writers' workshop, this quote can be mentioned to discuss the emotional journey of writing a novel.
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