--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always liked elliptical writing…" description: "\"I've always liked elliptical writing, whether it's Kafka or Paula Fox, and I'm often bored by writers who explain too much. I think that becomes journa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/lynne-tillman-5609_books_i-ve-always-liked-elliptical-writing-whe_728267.png" --- # I've always liked elliptical writing, whether it's Kafka… ![“I've always liked elliptical writing, whether it's Kafka or Paula Fox, and I'm often bored by writers who explain too much. I think that becomes journalism. Mostly I don't try to explain to readers who somebody is - I just write about the somebody. I'm thinking through ideas. And I have the sense…” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/lynne-tillman-5609_books_i-ve-always-liked-elliptical-writing-whe_728267.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/lynne-tillman-5609_books_i-ve-always-liked-elliptical-writing-whe_728267.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/lynne-tillman-5609_books_i-ve-always-liked-elliptical-writing-whe_728267.png) > “I've always liked elliptical writing, whether it's Kafka or Paula Fox, and I'm often bored by writers who explain too much. I think that becomes journalism. Mostly I don't try to explain to readers who somebody is - I just write about the somebody. I'm thinking through ideas. And I have the sense that, if you're reading this, you have some interest.” [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author prefers indirect, elliptical prose over explicit explanation, seeing the latter as journalistic and dull. **In simple terms:** Elliptical writing invites readers to infer meaning rather than being told. Key Takeaway Embrace subtlety, trust readers' curiosity. Themes literary style writing technique reader engagement Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary reflective When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - literary criticism - reading groups - teaching creative writing Key Concepts elliptical narrative implicit meaning authorial voice Questions to Reflect On - How does ambiguity affect reader connection? - When is explicit explanation necessary? A Different Perspective Overly vague prose can alienate readers seeking clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Bored Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored-writers-5709962/) [Elliptical Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elliptical-writing-5709961/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Think Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-journalism-258193/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writers Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-explain-2161452/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A good rule for writers: do not explain overmuch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-good-rule-for-writers-do-not-explain-overmuch/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I think at some level, it's just alchemy that we, as writers, can't explain when we write the characters. I don't set out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/i-think-at-some-level-it-s-just-alchemy-that-we-as-writers-can-t/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [I think journalism gets measured by the quality of information it presents, not the drama or the pyrotechnics associated with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/i-think-journalism-gets-measured-by-the-quality-of-information-it/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [I think my journalism is for readers who are smart and know that most people are lying to them, or being patronizing...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weigel/i-think-my-journalism-is-for-readers-who-are-smart-and-know-that-most/) [David Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weigel/) > [I don't think journalism changes. It's about digging into stories and telling them well. The basic tenets of great reporting stay the same while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/i-don-t-think-journalism-changes-it-s-about-digging-into-stories-and/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [In terms of the rise of social media and the kind of discourse that it encourages, the kind of pointed attitude it encourages, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/in-terms-of-the-rise-of-social-media-and-the-kind-of-discourse-that/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Contradictory to my religion, I think, is journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-schanberg/contradictory-to-my-religion-i-think-is-journalism/) [Sydney Schanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-schanberg/) > [I don't think much of the journalism that I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-don-t-think-much-of-the-journalism-that-i-see/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I think journalism can come from anywhere, and comedy can certainly come from anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pally/i-think-journalism-can-come-from-anywhere-and-comedy-can-certainly/) [Adam Pally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pally/) > [“I think journalism anywhere should be based on social justice and impartiality, making contributions to society as well as taking responsibility in society. 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I'm empathetic, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/i-think-if-there-s-some-kind-of-crisis-in-news-journalism-a-crisis-of/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [The quality of life in America is dependent on the quality of the journalism. Most people don't realize that, but if you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/the-quality-of-life-in-america-is-dependent-on-the-quality-of-the/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [I think journalism is a great way to do public service, to have an impact on your community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/i-think-journalism-is-a-great-way-to-do-public-service-to-have-an/) [Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/) ## More by Lynne Tillman > [There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and-some-are-better-at-it-than/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Laughing and crying are very similar. 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Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-a-practical-sense-pain-kept-me-from-sitting-down-as-much-so-that/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. I stayed away from New York for a long time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-true-you-have-to-screen-out-a-lot-living-in-the-city-i-stayed/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Kafka wrote the great line: "my education has damaged me in ways I do not even know." And that's always been a signature motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/kafka-wrote-the-great-line-my-education-has-damaged-me-in-ways-i-do/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) [Explore all 100 Lynne Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## 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. 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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": "I've always liked elliptical writing, whether it's Kafka or Paula Fox, and I'm often bored by writers who explain too much. I think that becomes journalism. Mostly I don't try to explain to readers who somebody is - I just write about the somebody. I'm thinking through ideas. 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