Crosses Quote by Don Roff
“It’s hard to land a devastating jab/cross/hook/uppercut combo to your reader’s imagination when you’re telegraphing your punches.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Writing Craft Podcast, Don Roff, 2020
Overly obvious storytelling makes it hard to engage readers’ imagination; subtlety and restraint create more vivid mental images.
In simple terms: Avoid obviousness; let readers imagine.
Key Takeaway
Show, don’t tell.
Themes
writing
creativity
imagination
subtlety
reader engagement
Mood
instructive
creative
analytical
Type
craft
technique
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- short stories
- advertising copy
- screenwriting
Key Concepts
Narrative technique
psychology of perception
literary style
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance clarity with imagination?
- When does restraint hinder communication?
A Different Perspective
Subtlety may be misread as vague.
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
