Character development Quote by John Gardner

““[the writer] must copy, with his finite mind, the process of the infinite 'I AM.””

John Gardner

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Character development Characters Finite I am Infinite Psychology Writing

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“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”

John Gardner

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When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…

John Gardner

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“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…

John Gardner

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“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually useless in fiction except when used for comic effect, as when the writer mimics some fool's slightly pompous way of speaking or quotes some institutional directive. The active voice is almost invariably more direct and vivid:…

John Gardner

“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the cheaper sort of sci-fi - though it is true that what holds for the most serious kind of fiction will generally hold for junk fiction as well. (Not everyone is capable of writing junk fiction: It…

John Gardner

“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a private school (one need not show a scene at the private school if the scene has no importance for the rest of the narrative), or one may tell the reader that the character hates spaghetti; but…

John Gardner

“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”

John Gardner

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“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a healthy natural red color. The heavy lines under them, her jowls, extended to the intersection of her lips and gave her a thick-lipped frown most of the time." The phrase "Her cheeks were thick and smooth"…

John Gardner

“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point is worth considering. First person locks us in one character's mind, locks us to one kind of diction throughout, locks out possibilities of going deeply into various characters' minds and so forth. …Vulgar diction in the…

John Gardner

Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know

John Gardner

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A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing

John Gardner

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The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…

John Gardner

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“It is hardly necessary to stress the fact that the ability to love as an act of giving depends on the character development of the person. It presupposes the attainment of a predominantly productive orientation; in this orientation the person has overcome dependency, narcissistic omnipotence, the wish to exploit others, or to hoard, and has acquired faith in his own…

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I was looking for something that, was different and that would challenge me in a different way, that was fun and people I was interested in working with. I wanted to travel a bit which I did, just had some time off, and then I decided to do this. There are a lot of horror movies around right now, but…

Emilie De Ravin

I feel that Pride and Prejudice is an incredibly well constructed novel on every level. The dialogue is great. The character development is great.…

Curtis Sittenfeld

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“Perfection should generally be avoided in a character. Real people, such as your readers, aren’t flawless and chances are they are not going to…

Craig Hart

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“A relationship built on lies and trickery will not last; only truthfulness can uphold a relationship”

idowu koyenikan

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“I am really excited about the Gemini Ascending series. If like me, you never wanted 'Game of Thrones' or 'Lord of the Rings' to…

Mark John Terranova

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When I play a game, I want to play, not necessarily laugh. If you try to make me laugh at the expense of interactivity,…

Doug TenNapel

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I don't know who will overcome losses, some losses aren't meant to be overcome, but all losses make for good stories and good character…

Kirsten Vangsness

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Meditation may require a lifetime to master, but it will have been a lifetime well spent. ... If you want to judge your progress, ask yourself these questions: Am I more loving? Is my judgment sounder? Do I have more energy? Can my mind remain calm under provocation? Am I free from the conditioning of anger, fear, and greed? Spiritual…

Eknath Easwaran

Stand alone books are nice because they have everything all in one tidy little package. Neverwhere was awesome because you get action, adventure, character…

Patrick Rothfuss

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I'm a lot more focused on character development and showing more of my character's emotions and persona inside the ring rather than just going…

Bobby Roode

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Education is character development, harmonious completion of human personality. But what the state accomplishes in this field is dull drill, extinction of natural feeling,…

Rudolf Rocker

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Character development Quote by John Gardner

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