Accounts Quote by Steve Hely
““Writing a novel— actually picking the words and filling in paragraphs— is a tremendous pain in the ass. Now that TV’s so good and the Internet is an endless forest of distraction, it’s damn near impossible. That should be taken into account when ranking the all-time greats. Somebody like Charles Dickens, for example, who had nothing better to do except eat mutton and attend public hangings, should get very little credit.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Ringer Podcast, 2020
Writing a novel is extremely difficult in a distraction‑filled era, so historical authors should be judged with context.
In simple terms: Novel writing is hard today, so past writers need context.
Key Takeaway
Consider context when judging literary greatness.
Themes
literature
distraction
historical context
creative work
Mood
frustrated
reflective
Type
critical
analytical
When to use this quote
- author interviews
- writing workshops
- literary criticism
- media studies
Key Concepts
creative process
cultural criticism
media saturation
Questions to Reflect On
- How does technology affect creative effort?
- Should we adjust literary rankings for era?
A Different Perspective
Modern distractions make writing harder, but discipline still matters.
![“[The Utopia of Rules] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way to get rid of all those hours spent listening to bad call-centre music? Do policemen, academics, teachers and doctors really need to spend half their time filling in…” quote by Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/223/gillian-tett-57286_accepting_the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-chall_39418.jpg)
