Art Quote by Gilbert Sorrentino
““A writer discovers what he knows as he knows it, i.e., as he makes it. No artist writes in order to objectify an “idea” already formed. It is the poem or novel or story that quite precisely tells him what he didn't know he knew: he knows, that is, only in terms of his writing. This is, of course, simply another way of saying that literary composition is not the placing of a held idea into a waiting form.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Art of Writing,” 1974
Writing discovers knowledge as it happens, not by inserting pre‑formed ideas.
In simple terms: Writing reveals unknown knowledge during the act.
Key Takeaway
Let writing guide discovery.
Themes
creativity
knowledge
process
literature
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- poetry
- workshop
- teaching
Key Concepts
epistemology
creative process
self‑discovery
Questions to Reflect On
- What does your writing reveal you didn’t expect?
- How can you trust the process over the plan?
A Different Perspective
It may be hard to trust the unknown in writing.
![“For more than twenty years he [Blanchard] toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary composition, mostly in periodicals, often anonymously; pleasing and lightly instructing thousands, but gaining none of the prizes, whether of weighty reputation or popular renown, which more fortunate…” quote by Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg)
