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.

About This Quote

The job of the writer is to take a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, the world we all inhabit. The job of the novel is to make the corpse stink. This quote captures the qualities of a writer and a novel. A writer takes a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, but makes it unappealing so that it will only bring about discomfort. A novel takes an unpleasant subject and makes it even more unpleasant by adding in extra details and character developments.

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5. The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But... - Stephen King

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More Quotes By Walter Mosley

1. 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.

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2. The first thing you have to know about writing is that it is something you must do everyday. There are two reasons for this rule: Getting the work done and connecting with your unconscious mind.

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3. If you want to be a writer, you have to write every day... You don't go to a well once but daily. You don't skip a child's breakfast or forget to wake up in the morning...

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4. It hurts when they're gone. And it doesn't matter if it's slow or fast, whether it's a long drawn-out disease or an unexpected accident. When they're gone the world turns upside down and you're left holding on, trying not to fall off.

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5. 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.

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