The Story Chooses the Writer
According to novelist John Irving, a writer does not have the luxury of deciding on a story; the story chooses the writer. "I've always felt my subject chooses me. Even if I don't like the subject, don't like what I'm writing about. The subject chooses you."
Irving admits that the writer is not off the hook. Novels don't write themselves. "I choose the tone, the names, the language, the structure—but not the subject or the story. The story chooses the writer; the writer chooses the structure."
But Wikipedia chooses Irving’s story on their site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving
Irving admits that the writer is not off the hook. Novels don't write themselves. "I choose the tone, the names, the language, the structure—but not the subject or the story. The story chooses the writer; the writer chooses the structure."
But Wikipedia chooses Irving’s story on their site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving
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message 1:
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John
(new)
Jun 02, 2021 11:40AM
This is an absolutely true statement. As a writer, I feel my characters summon me to write about their exploits. I haven’t really “created” them or the stories. I’m simply chronicling their lives, like Boswell writing about Samuel Johnson.
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