The job of the writer is to take a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, the world we all inhabit, and the job of the novel is to make the corpse stink.
Walter MosleyRead
Writing is almost a place of dreams for me, and I don't have to give up anything to do it.
Interpretation
Writing serves as a creative escape that requires no sacrifices.
In this quote, Walter Mosley expresses how writing is a deeply fulfilling and dream-like activity for him, emphasizing that it allows him to explore his imagination and creativity without necessitating any trade-offs. This highlights the liberating nature of artistic expression, where one can delve into their passions freely and joyfully.
In practice
Using this quote in a creative writing workshop to inspire participants.
The job of the writer is to take a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, the world we all inhabit, and the job of the novel is to make the corpse stink.
At one time if you were a black writer you had to be one of the best writers in the world to be published. You had to be great. Now you can be good. Mediocre. And that's good.
My father cared about the world he lived in, and so he admitted his confusion about his place in America because he didn't want me to make the same mistake in my life.
Many & most moments go by with us hardly aware of their passage. But love & hate & fear cause time to snag you, to drag you down like a spider's web holding fast to a doomed fly's wings. And when you're caught like that you're aware of every moment & movement & nuance.
We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.
All writing is that structure of revelation. There's something you want to find out. If you know everything up front in the beginning, you really don't need to read further if there's nothing else to find out.
In my career as a director, there's always been some point where you get halfway through it, or three-quarters, and you go: 'What is this thing all about, and why am I telling the story? Does anybody really care about seeing this?' At that time you have to say: 'OK, forget that and just go ahead.'
Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which can sometimes pay the rent.
Writing a short story is like having a short intense affair, whereas writing a novel is like a long rich marriage.
I tend to like strong female characters. It just interests me dramatically. A strong male character isn't interesting because it has been done and it's so cliched. A weak male character is interesting: somebody else hasn't done it a hundred times. A strong female character is still interesting to me because it hasn't been done all that much, finding the balance of femininity and strength. [From a 1986 Fangoria interview]
It's incumbent on us to reach beyond the confines of the institutions that traditionally produce art and find new ways to get it to the people.
Art functioning as propaganda is not art.
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