Business Quote by John Irving
““I realize that a writer's business is setting fire to Piggy Sneed-and trying to save him-again and again; forever.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 1995
A writer’s role is to continually challenge and resurrect a character, keeping them alive through conflict.
In simple terms: Writers repeatedly test and revive characters.
Key Takeaway
Embrace conflict to keep stories alive.
Themes
creativity
character development
conflict
repetition
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- screenwriting
- character workshops
Key Concepts
literary craft
character resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance character destruction and redemption?
- When does repetition become redundancy?
A Different Perspective
Overusing conflict can fatigue readers.
![“JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" [Owen Meany] said crossly. "LOOK AT THOSE WEIRDO TV MIRACLE-WORKERS--THEY'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC! BUT THE REAL MIRACLES AREN'T ANYTHING YOU CAN…” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70e/john-irving-337_atheists_just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-bet_31804.jpg)
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)