Big book Quote by Clive Barker
““I think it's an indulgence to [write] the other [non-linear] way. I think it's a kind of cowardice. There are places in anyone's books that are going to be easier than other parts. And if when you come to a part that's difficult and think, 'Hm, I'll skip that,' all you're doing is lining up these problems that are going to wait for you and kick you in the ass. So I'm very rigorous with myself. I won't allow myself to go on to a fun bit, like the sex. I think if you write big books like I do, and don't write in a linear fashion, something inevitably gets screwed up in the emotional flow. In Coldheart Canyon there are many characters, and each character has its own arc. The arcs start at divergent points, but they converge at roughly the same point. So what you try to do is induce in the reader an incredible feeling of excitement, because everybody's arcs are resolving because they're encountering one another, right? It's not that they're resolving in an abstraction. They're resolving because A meets B meets C and so on.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Rolling Stone, 1995
He believes non‑linear writing is a cowardly avoidance of difficulty, leading to unresolved emotional arcs that later cause narrative problems.
In simple terms: Skipping hard parts creates later issues in story flow.
Face challenges directly in writing.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- novel drafting
- editing
- creative workshops
- self‑discipline
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you handle difficult scenes?
- What benefits arise from confronting narrative challenges?
Skipping tough sections postpones conflict resolution.