Short stories Quote by John Gardner
““In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a first draft; for others, it may hinder the flow at first but be useful when time for revision comes.) Treat a short passage of description as a complete unit and make that one small unit as perfect as you can; then turn to the next unit— a passage of dialogue, say—and make that as perfect as you can. Move to larger units, the individual scenes that together make up the plot, and work each scene until it sparkles.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Art of Fiction, John Gardner, 1983
Focus on one small piece at a time, perfect it, then move to the next, building up to polished scenes and overall plot.
In simple terms: Perfect each small part before expanding.
Key Takeaway
Polish incrementally for stronger writing.
Themes
writing
craft
revision
focus
incremental improvement
Mood
determined
analytical
inspirational
Type
advice
instructional
process-oriented
When to use this quote
- Drafting short stories
- revising novels
- scene polishing
- dialogue refinement
- description editing
Key Concepts
Narrative structure
editing
attention to detail
Questions to Reflect On
- How does breaking work into units affect creativity?
- When is it better to edit larger sections first?
A Different Perspective
May slow overall progress for writers who thrive on big-picture momentum.
