Contradictory Quote by Irwin Shaw

I have a different purpose in writing each novel. Some of them seem more similar than others, but the purposes are always different.

— Jesse Ball

There are many reasons why novelists write, but they all have one thing in common - a need to create an alternative world.

— John Fowles

Every author has different ways of writing and what works for one author does not necessarily work for another.

— Robert Munsch

The essence of a novelist is to invent things and speak the truth, at the same time.

— Jaume Cabre

Every writer has certain subjects that they write about again and again, and . . . most people's books are just variations on certain themes.

— Christopher Isherwood

I think novelists, when they write their books, end up having occasionally serving a purpose and playing roles that they never really fully either…

— Khaled Hosseini

The more books we read, the clearer it becomes that the true function of a writer is to produce a masterpiece and that no…

— Cyril Connolly

That's true of every form of literature - each writer brings new things to it because each of us is an individual.

— Erica Brown

Novels function and the power of novels function because of their stories.

— Mohsin Hamid

To me, novels are a trip of discovery, and you discover things that you don't know and you assume that many of your readers…

— Tom Wolfe

“Because—and don’t let anybody tell you different—novel writing is mostly triage (this now, that later) and obstinacy.”

— Richard Russo

The function of a writer is to make sense of life. It is such a mystery, it changes all the time, like the light.

— Nadine Gordimer