After a long while he sat upright with great effort, exhaled a sigh and reached for a clean sheet of lined paper, smoothing it out on the desk. He unscrewed the lid of his fountain pen, laid it perpendicular to his paper, and began to write. Often he compared his writing to white water. He had only to leap in to be dragged away on its rapids, thrown this way and that with his own will rendered impotent. While writing he found the words came from the muscles in his hands, the feel of the shaft of his pen, the locked joint of his elbow. the scratching noise of the nib marking paper and, underneath all that, some coordinating impulse in his guts. Certainly not from his mind. . Ali Shaw
About This Quote

George Orwell was speaking about the rhythms of his writing and the manner in which he wrote. He wanted to stress the importance of working with a pen and paper and away from a screen. He was trying to describe the rhythmic feeling he had while doing this and how his writing was different than what most people write. By using this quote and by describing the manner in which he does it, he is also demonstrating that his writing is absolutely unique and that there is no one else who will write like him.

Source: The Girl With Glass Feet

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  1. Have you ever hoped for something? And held out for it against all the odds? Until everything you did was ridiculous?

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  3. After a long while he sat upright with great effort, exhaled a sigh and reached for a clean sheet of lined paper, smoothing it out on the desk. He unscrewed the lid of his fountain pen, laid it perpendicular to his paper, and began to...

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