"But novels are never about what they are……" — Diane Johnson
"But novels are never about what they are about; that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The author may not be aware of this till she is pretty far along with it. A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme."
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Diane Johnson
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12 Quotes by Diane Johnson
Diane Johnson has 12 quotes on this site.
A few more worth reading:
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In what we think of as bad dialogue, the characters talk directly to each other.
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The whole process of writing a novel is having this great, beautiful idea and then spoiling it.
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Not having to own a car has made me realize what a waste of time the automobile is.
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Women have the feeling that since they didn't make the rules, the rules have nothing to do with them.
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Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavor, keeps it from being too dry, and makes…
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The Novelist, afraid his ideas may be foolish, slyly puts them in the mouth of some other fool and reserves…
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Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who…
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Glenda Adams has written a wicked and witty novel.
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A chaplain's biggest gift is to be present and just listen.
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But novels are never about what they are about; that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The…
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A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when…
See all 12 quotes by Diane Johnson »
More Along Quotes
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All in all, for someone who was immersed in, fascinated by, and dedicated to flight, I was disappointed by the…
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The soul, which is spirit, can not dwell in dust; it is carried along to dwell in the blood.
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You all want to know what is my dream? Very simple. To walk along the beach, holding the hand of…
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I am a fighter. I'm not just there to go along and get along.
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As a great man's influence never ends, so also there is not definite finality, no end, to a great survey;…
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Bush wasn't elected, he was selected - selected by five judges up in Washington who voted along party lines.
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It's about pursuing it rather than waiting to see what comes along. That's partly because I found myself getting typecast,…
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Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and…
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Those men get along best with women who can get along best without them.
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I feel there are two people inside me - me and my intuition. If I go against her, she'll screw…
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After several trillion dollars of stimulation by the Obama Administration and the Fed, one might think the economy would be…
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