29th November 2016 | for Creatives | intuitive writing & pantsing, creative process, writing, story beginnings, Flannery O'Connor, Marcel Theroux |
"[Flannery O'Connor] just had a sense of an opening and then pursued it—like Theseus following the thread out of the labyrinth. ... I think this seems scary, but it can lead to an outcome that feels very natural, unforced and satisfying. ... I really encourage people to follow this advice, and largely follow it myself. "
"The dream of a story? This is a mood and a continent of thought below your conscious mind—a place that you get closer to with each foray into the words and worlds of your novel."
"In reaching for the unknown—in that middle realm, somewhere between what I understand and what I have never before imagined—I feel the spark of inspiration begin to glow."
"Listen to the story being told. Come up with the idea, but let it play out naturally. Try not to shape it word for word or be so married to an outline that you deny what could become something amazing."
"You have to tell your mind to back the hell off. It's another place in yourself entirely where you must look to create a work of art."
"The discipline of the writer is to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him."
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