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George Saunders Quotes


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Quotes by George Saunders

Showing 11-20 of 63 Quotes by George Saunders

I think fiction isn't so good at being for or against things in general - the rhetorical argument a short story can make is only actualized by the accretion of particular details, and the specificity of these details renders whatever conclusions the story reaches invalid for wider application.

~George Saunders

Topics: Against Application Argument Being Conclusions Details Fiction General Good Make Only Particular Rhetorical Short Short Story Specificity Story Things Think Whatever Wider I Think

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We have that illusion that we are 'deciding' what to make a character do, in order to 'convey our message' or something like that. But, at least in my experience, you are often more like a river-rafting guide who's been paid a bonus to purposely steer your clients into the roughest possible water.

~George Saunders

Topics: Been Bonus Character Clients Convey Deciding Experience Guide Illusion Least Like Make Message More Often Order Our Paid Possible Purposely Something Steer Water You Your

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When I write I know that I'm going to have to produce 40 percent more than I need.

~George Saunders

Topics: Going Know More Need Percent Produce Than Write I Write

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When I was a kid, I took 'The Brady Bunch' and 'The Partridge Family' very seriously. It was a world to me in the same way that the Greek myths would have been had I read them. You know, Marcia is Athena and Mr. Brady is Zeus.

~George Saunders

Topics: Been Brady Bunch Family Greek Had Kid Know Me Myths Read Same Seriously Them Took Very Way World Would You Zeus Mr

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You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are in Armani cloth sacks - especially in a time like ours, when materialism is not only rampant and ascendant but is fast becoming the only game in town.

~George Saunders

Topics: Becoming Cloth Dresses Fast Game His Kid Kids Like Materialism Only Other Other Kids Ours Parent Rampant Sack Time Town Want Who You

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If you think of a work of fiction as a kind of scale model of the world, then the positive valences - where things turn out better than you thought they would - ought to be in there somewhere, too.

~George Saunders

Topics: Better Fiction Kind Model Ought Out Positive Scale Somewhere Than Then Things Think Thought Too Turn Where Work World Would You

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Stories, as much as we like to talk about them, retrospectively, as emanations of theme or worldview or intention, occur primarily as technical objects when they're being written. Or at least they do for me. They're the result of thousands of decisions made at speed during revision.

~George Saunders

Topics: About Being Decisions Intention Least Like Made Me Much Objects Occur Primarily Result Revision Speed Stories Talk Technical Them Theme Thousands Worldview Written

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There's a really nice moment in the life of a piece of writing where the writer starts to get a feeling of it outgrowing him - or he starts to see it having a life of its own that doesn't have anything to do with his ego or his desire to 'be a good writer.'

~George Saunders

Topics: Anything Desire Ego Feeling Get Good Good Writer Having He Him His Life Moment Nice Own Piece Really See Starts Where Writer Writing

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So for me the approach has become to go into a story not really sure of what I want to say, try to find some little seed crystal of interest, a sentence or an image or an idea, and as much as possible divest myself of any deep ideas about it. And then by this process of revision, mysteriously it starts to accrete meanings as you go.

~George Saunders

Topics: About Any Approach Become Crystal Deep Find Go Idea Ideas Image Interest Little Me Meanings Much Myself Possible Process Really Revision Say Seed Sentence Some Starts Story Sure Then Try Want You

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When I'm explaining something to you, if I'm being long-winded, and twisty in a non-productive way, I could make you feel vaguely insulted. And you'd have a right to be.

~George Saunders

Topics: Being Could Explaining Feel Insulted Make Right Something Vaguely Way You

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Writer

Born: December 2nd, 1958

Links

Find George Saunders on Amazon

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