--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing that flirts with incoherence can…" description: "\"Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abc/joanna-scott-21641_art_writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can_20031.jpg" --- # Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily… ![“Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality, and strategies that are distinguished as innovative in their first incarnation can quickly become stale in the hands of lesser…” quote by Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abc/joanna-scott-21641_art_writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can_20031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abc/joanna-scott-21641_art_writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can_20031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abc/joanna-scott-21641_art_writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can_20031.jpg) > “Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality, and strategies that are distinguished as innovative in their first incarnation can quickly become stale in the hands of lesser artists.” [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Originality cannot be forced by a formula; attempts at chaotic style may fail just as much as overly polished prose, and what seems novel at first can become hackneyed when replicated by less skilled writers. **In simple terms:** Originality resists formulaic methods. Key Takeaway Innovation fades without skill. Themes creativity originality style craftsmanship innovation Mood reflective cautious inquisitive Type advice observation critique When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - literary criticism - authorial development - editing processes Key Concepts originality formulaic writing skill innovation decay Practical Applications - teaching writers to balance spontaneity and discipline - guiding editors to recognize genuine innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can writers maintain freshness without relying on gimmicks? - What role does skill play in sustaining innovation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Characterized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characterized/) [Composure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composure/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Distinguished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Flirts Incoherence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flirts-incoherence-394212/) [Formula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formula/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Incarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarnation/) [Innovative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovative/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesser/) [Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality/) [Originality Strategies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality-strategies-394214/) [Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly/) [Readily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readily/) [Reliable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliable/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Stale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stale/) [Strategies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategies/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Characterized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-characterized-394215/) [Writing Flirts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-flirts-394213/) ## Related quotes > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [I actually don't consider myself that private. 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This might put writers at a disadvantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/the-best-liars-lie-with-their-eyes-rather-than-with-their-words-this/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [Jim Longenbach, poet, critic, and my husband, is always passing along life-changing books for me to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/jim-longenbach-poet-critic-and-my-husband-is-always-passing-along/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [In the early 1980s, I spent a year working as an assistant at the Elaine Markson Literary Agency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/in-the-early-1980s-i-spent-a-year-working-as-an-assistant-at-the/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [Reviewers try to square the antics of a writer's life with the antics in the fiction. 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And then with 'Arrogance,' I broke into many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/my-first-two-books-i-was-very-close-to-my-main-character-stuck-inside/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [As entertainment, fiction may offer momentary relief from the stresses of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/as-entertainment-fiction-may-offer-momentary-relief-from-the-stresses/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) [Explore all 29 Joanna Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. 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