--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative…" description: "\"“Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was waste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_books_now-lend-me-your-ears-here-is-creative-w_1912176.jpg" --- # Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101: 1… ![“Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_books_now-lend-me-your-ears-here-is-creative-w_1912176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_books_now-lend-me-your-ears-here-is-creative-w_1912176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_books_now-lend-me-your-ears-here-is-creative-w_1912176.jpg) > ““Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. 4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. 5. Start as close to the end as possible. 6. Be a sadist. No matter sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of. 7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. 8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages. The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.”” [Kurt Vonnegut jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective storytelling requires clear purpose, compelling characters, and purposeful sentences. **In simple terms:** Write with intent, give readers a hero, and keep each line purposeful. Key Takeaway Make every sentence count toward character or plot. Themes storytelling character purpose structure audience editing Mood reflective instructive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching - self‑editing Key Concepts narrative theory character motivation Questions to Reflect On - Which rule would you break for a better story? - How do you balance surprise with clarity? A Different Perspective Rigid rules can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creative writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-writing/) [Flannery O'connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flannery-oconnor/) [Reader Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-write-1416592/) [Story Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-writer-661112/) [Sweet and innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet-and-innocent/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-generation-2381174/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing 101](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-101-2886654/) ## Related quotes > [“1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/1-use-the-time-of-a-total-stranger-in-such-a-way-that-he-or-she-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I'm definitely of the 'Harry Potter'-transfigured-me-into-a-reader-and-writer generation. And that's really all I read throughout my teen years, because I really devoted all my time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-m-definitely-of-the-harry-potter-transfigured-me-into-a-reader-and/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [Every writer is a writer of the generation before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/every-writer-is-a-writer-of-the-generation-before/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [If you're a voracious reader and you write something that you want to read, odds are other people will want to read it, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-maleeny/if-you-re-a-voracious-reader-and-you-write-something-that-you-want-to/) [Tim Maleeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-maleeny/) > [Write what you want to read. So many people think they need to write a particular kind of book, or imitate a successful style,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/write-what-you-want-to-read-so-many-people-think-they-need-to-write-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Without a reader, I cannot write. It's like a kiss: they cannot be done alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/without-a-reader-i-cannot-write-it-s-like-a-kiss-they-cannot-be-done/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I don't put a lot of description in the books because I write books the way I like to read them, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-don-t-put-a-lot-of-description-in-the-books-because-i-write-books/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I love telling stories. I love the intimacy between the writer and reader. When you write sketches it's over in two minutes. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/i-love-telling-stories-i-love-the-intimacy-between-the-writer-and/) [David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/) > [“I was born a dribbler, became a reader, now I write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hagen/i-was-born-a-dribbler-became-a-reader-now-i-write/) [Joseph Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hagen/) > [I don't know if my mum and President Kennedy ever dated, but they were friends and there are some letters from him that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hepburn-ferrer/i-don-t-know-if-my-mum-and-president-kennedy-ever-dated-but-they-were/) [Sean Hepburn Ferrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hepburn-ferrer/) > [People do see me as sweet and innocent. Not to say that I am not those things. But I have other sides to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/people-do-see-me-as-sweet-and-innocent-not-to-say-that-i-am-not-those/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [“She was sweet and innocent and scared. And I would still tear her world down brick by brick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-knight/she-was-sweet-and-innocent-and-scared-and-i-would-still-tear-her/) [Natasha Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-knight/) > [“I love you. I love how you are so sweet and innocent and kind to people, but you are such a vixen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-cole/i-love-you-i-love-how-you-are-so-sweet-and-innocent-and-kind-to/) [Courtney Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-cole/) > [We all have monsters inside of us, and we all have an inner child in us. You always think about your inner child as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wittrock/we-all-have-monsters-inside-of-us-and-we-all-have-an-inner-child-in/) [Finn Wittrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wittrock/) > [“I hurt too. For six years I fought every day not to think of you, and I lost, because every day you were all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mccarthy/i-hurt-too-for-six-years-i-fought-every-day-not-to-think-of-you-and-i/) [Kate McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mccarthy/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut jr > [“Lucky me , Lucky mud”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/lucky-me-lucky-mud/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“I wonder about turtles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/i-wonder-about-turtles/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Then you’ll do it brilliantly, darling. You’ll get to Pittsburgh yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/then-you-ll-do-it-brilliantly-darling-you-ll-get-to-pittsburgh-yet/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“There is room enough for an awful lot of people to be right about things and still not agree. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/there-is-room-enough-for-an-awful-lot-of-people-to-be-right-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“He often said he had to be a writer because he wasn't good at anything else. He was not good at being an employee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/he-often-said-he-had-to-be-a-writer-because-he-wasn-t-good-at/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“The zero in the telephone number he pronounced "naught." The number was: "2 B R 0 2 B.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/the-zero-in-the-telephone-number-he-pronounced-naught-the-number-was/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Jones wasn’t completely crazy. The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/jones-wasn-t-completely-crazy-the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“I have never seen a more sublime demonstration of the totalitarian mind, a mind which might be likened unto a system of gears whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/i-have-never-seen-a-more-sublime-demonstration-of-the-totalitarian/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No respecter of evidence has ever found the least clue as to what life is all about, and what people should do with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-respecter-of-evidence-has-ever-found-the-least-clue-as-to-what/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Life is nothing but high school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/life-is-nothing-but-high-school/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“And Halyard suddenly realized that, just as religion and government had been split into disparate entities centuries before, now, thanks to the machines, politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/and-halyard-suddenly-realized-that-just-as-religion-and-government/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“For once, after the great bloodbath of the war, the world really was cleared of unnatural terrors—mass starvation, mass imprisonment, mass torture, mass murder.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/for-once-after-the-great-bloodbath-of-the-war-the-world-really-was/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Him! Him! Captain Eliot Rosewater–Silver Star, Bronze Star, Soldier's Medal, and Purple Heart with Cluster! Sailing champion! Ski champion! Him! Him! My God–the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/him-him-captain-eliot-rosewater-silver-star-bronze-star-soldier-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No art is possible without a dance with death, he wrote. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-art-is-possible-without-a-dance-with-death-he-wrote-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No trouble. There really isn’t a heck of a lot to the job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-trouble-there-really-isn-t-a-heck-of-a-lot-to-the-job/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) [Explore all 164 Kurt Vonnegut jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. 4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. 5. Start as close to the end as possible. 6. Be a sadist. No matter sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of. 7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. 8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages. The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. 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