“The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“To write is human, to edit is divine.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.”
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
― On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Sarah’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Sarah’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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