---
title: "1 Writer Ability Quotes By Francine Prose"
description: "1 Writer Ability quotes by Francine Prose. Plus more from Francine Prose and more Writer Ability sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg"
---

> [For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. It's satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a-sentence-and-see-what-s/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg)

## More by Francine Prose

> [“I'm out of the equation, an innocent bystander at the major love affair Joan is having with Joan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-m-out-of-the-equation-an-innocent-bystander-at-the-major-love/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/all-the-elements-of-good-writing-depend-on-the-writer-s-skill-in/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“She emerges from the station directly across from the restaurant. And she's right on time. Like magic, Sonya thinks, briefly saddened to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/she-emerges-from-the-station-directly-across-from-the-restaurant-and/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“Like, for example, sleeve length. Should he hide the tattoos? Or just wear a T-shirt and let "them" do the talking? If one picture's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-for-example-sleeve-length-should-he-hide-the-tattoos-or-just/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“Consequently, we sympathize. We identify. We care. In fact, most writers would like you to identify”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/consequently-we-sympathize-we-identify-we-care-in-fact-most-writers/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“A woman would have to be crazy to marry, or even have sex with, a man who would prosecute every lover’s quarrel like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/a-woman-would-have-to-be-crazy-to-marry-or-even-have-sex-with-a-man/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [I know a lot of Eastern Europeans, and because of what they have been through and what they have seen, they have an attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-know-a-lot-of-eastern-europeans-and-because-of-what-they-have-been/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“I’ve always thought that a close-reading course should at least be a companion, if not an alternative, to the writing workshop. Though it also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-ve-always-thought-that-a-close-reading-course-should-at-least-be-a/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“Not all great writers may seem great to us, regardless of how often and how hard we try to see their virtues. I know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/not-all-great-writers-may-seem-great-to-us-regardless-of-how-often/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-seeing-a-photograph-of-yourself-as-a-child-encountering/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> ['One Hundred Years of Solitude' convinced me to drop out of Harvard graduate school. The novel reminded me of everything my Ph.D. program was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-convinced-me-to-drop-out-of-harvard/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“Maybe real love is being able to ask, Do I have greens in my teeth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/maybe-real-love-is-being-able-to-ask-do-i-have-greens-in-my-teeth/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [With this recitation of paraphernalia and detritus, O'Brien manages to encapsulate the experience of an army and of a particular war, of a mined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/with-this-recitation-of-paraphernalia-and-detritus-o-brien-manages-to/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“The repetitions, meaningless expressions, stammers, and nonsensical monosyllables with which we express hesitation, along with the clichés and banalities that constitute so much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/the-repetitions-meaningless-expressions-stammers-and-nonsensical/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Writer Ability Quotes By Francine Prose",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. It's satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Francine Prose"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a-sentence-and-see-what-s/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised…” — Francine Prose",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/",
            "name": "Writer Ability Quotes by Francine Prose",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/francine-prose-9354_ability_for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a_3218272.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Writer Ability quotes by Francine Prose. Plus more from Francine Prose and more Writer Ability sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Writer Ability",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Francine Prose",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ability/francine-prose/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```