I Write Because Something Inner And Unconscious Forces Me To. That Is The First Compulsion. The Second Is One Of Ethical And Moral Duty. I Feel Responsible To Tell Stories That Inspire Readers To Consider More Deeply Who They Are.

-David Guterson

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I Write Because Something

David Guterson

Topic

Writing

Inspire

Firsts

More From David Guterson

Writing

Inspire

Firsts

To Persevere Is Always A Reflection Of The State Of One's Inner Life, One's Philosophy And One's Perspective

Philosophy

Reflection

Perspective

Writing Became An Obsessive Compulsive Habit But I Had Almost No Money So I Thought About Being An Urban Firefighter And Having Lots Of Free Time In Which To Write Or Becoming An English Teacher And Thinking About Books And Writers On A Daily Basis. That Swayed Me.

Teacher

Book

Writing

I Was Born In Washington State And Have Lived Here For 42 Plus Years.

Years

Literature

Washington State

When I Went To College I Took A Creative Writing Class And Decided In A Week To Be A Writer.

Writing

College

Class

What Some People Interpret As Brooding Melancholy Is Serenity. I Don't Feel Required To Grasp All The Time.

People

Serenity

Literature

Everybody Has A World, And That World Is Completely Hidden Until We Begin To Inquire. As Soon As We Do, That Entire World Opens To Us And Yields Itself. And You See How Full And Complex It Is.

Yield

World

Complexes

How Could They Say That They Truly Loved Each Other? They Had Simply Grown Up Together, Been Children Together, And The Proximity Of It, The Closeness Of It, Had Produced In Them Love S Illusion. And Yet - On The Other Hand - What Was Love If It Wasn't This Instinct She Felt.

Children

Hands

Together

Don Quixote Is One That Comes To Mind In Comparison To Mine, In That They Both Involve Journeys Undertaken By Older Men. That Is Unusual, Because Generally The Hero Of A Journey Story Is Very Young.

Hero

Journey

Men

We Should Recognize That Schools Will Never Solve The Bedrock Problems Of Education Because The Problems Are Problems Of Families, Of Cultural Pressures That The Schools Reflect And Thus Cannot Really Remedy.

School

Pressure

Problem

There's A Certain Nostalgia And Romance In A Place You Left.

Romance

Nostalgia

Certain

A Literary Achievement Of The Highest Order.

Order

Achievement

Highest

Well, I Think It’s Extraordinarily Fun To Write, And I Look Forward To It Every Day, But That Doesn’t Mean I Think It’s Easy. There’s A Difference Between The Two. It’s Fun In The Way All Worthwhile Things Are Fun – There’s Difficulty Attached To It. I Think That A Writer Has To Accept A Certain Amount Of Frustration. It’s Inherent In The Task, And You Have To Simply Persevere. It’s Part Of The Definition Of The Work.

Fun

Writing

Mean

I Think You Have An Obligation To Share What You Know As A Writer.

Thinking

Obligation

Post-modernism Is Dead Because It Didn't Address Human Needs.

Needs

Literature

Addresses

Writers Shouldn’t Underestimate The Difficulty Of What They’re Doing, And They Should Treat It With Great Seriousness. You’re Doing Something That Really Matters, You’re Telling Stories That Have An Impact On Other People And On The Culture. You Should Tell The Best Stories You Can Possibly Tell And Put Everything You’ve Got Into It.

Writing

Impact

People

I Grew Up In Seattle, But I Always Knew I Wanted To Leave.

Grew Up

Grew

Wanted

I'm A Hypocrite, Of Course, And I Live With That, But I Live.

Hypocrite

Courses

I Have Traveled The Entire State And Spent A Lot Of Time Out Of Doors. So I Have Known The Landscape Of The Columbia Basin For Quite A While, And I Have Had This Strong Feeling About It For Many Years.

Strong

Doors

Years

My Father Is A Practicing Criminal Law Attorney In The Seattle Area.

Father

Law

Criminals

I Became Paralyzed As An Artist With Writer's Block.

Block

Artist

Literature

The Strange Thing Was, He Wanted To Like Everyone. He Just Couldn't Find A Way To Do It.

Way

Strange

Wanted

I Know You'll Think This Is Crazy, But All I Want To Do Is Hold You, And I Think That If You'll Let Me Do That Just For A Few Seconds, I Can Walk Away, And Never Speak To You Again.

Crazy

Thinking

Cedars

I Think Of Myself As A Really Happy Person.

Thinking

Happy Person

Really Happy

I'm Not An Urban Person.

Literature

Urban

Persons

I'm Interested In Themes That Endure From Generation To Generation.

Generations

Literature

Theme

The Status Quo Was Rote Memorization And Recitation In Classrooms Thronged With Passive Children Who Were Sternly Disciplined When They Expressed Individual Needs.

Children

Memorization

Needs

Time Made Me Change. I Gradually Woke Up To The Realization That This Is Who I Am, An Author, A Public Figure, And I Couldn't Just Hide In My Study, Tapping Away At The Keyboard And Pretend That I Didn't Have A Role To Play Beyond Stringing Words Together.

Who I Am

Play

Together

I Often Heard About His Cases And I Often Sat In On His Trials. In The Late 1960s When I Was Growing Up I Wanted To Be A Crusader Like Him But I Didn't Want To Wear A Suit And Commute.

Growing Up

Trials

Literature

He Didn't Like Very Many People Any More, Or Very Many Things Either. He Preferred Not To Be This Way, But There It Was, He Was Like That. His Cynicism, A Veteran's Cynicism, Was A Thing That Disturbed Him All The Time.

People

Way

Veteran

Even Though I May Not Intend It When I Set Out To Write The Book, These Places Just Emerge As Major Players In What I'm Doing, Almost As If They Are Insisting On It.

Book

Writing

Player

Hemingway Said The Only Way To Write About A Place Is To Leave It.

Writing

Literature

Way

What Sustains Me Is To Be With My Family And To Write.

Writing

My Family

My Book Is Traditional. It Runs Counter To The Post-modern Spirit.

Running

Book

Literature

The Best Advice On Writing I've Ever Received Is To Take It Seriously, Because To Do It Well Is All-consuming.

Writing

Advice

Wells

Cities Produce In Me Melancholy Or A Tension I Don't Need.

Cities

Needs

Melancholy

To Deny That There Was This Dark Side Of Life Would Be Like Pretending That The Cold Of Winter Was Somehow Only A Temporary Illusion, A Way Station On The Way To The Higher "reality" Of Long, Warm, Pleasant Summers. But Summer, It Turned Out, Was No More Real Than The Snow That Melted In Wintertime.

Life

Summer

Real

There Are Things In This Universe That We Cannot Control, And Then There Are The Things We Can. . . . Let Fate, Coincidence, And Accident Conspire; Human Beings Must Act On Reason.

Fate

Cedars

Coincidence

Accident Ruled Every Corner Of The Universe Except The Chambers Of The Human Heart.

Heart

Cedars

Humans

None Of Those Other Things Makes A Difference. Love Is The Strongest Thing In The World, You Know. Nothing Can Touch It. Nothing Comes Close. If We Love Each Other We're Safe From It All. Love Is The Biggest Thing There Is.

Love Is

Differences

Making A Difference

I Was Aware That There Is An Expectation That Writers Inevitably Falter At This Stage, That They Fail To Live Up To The Promise Of Their First Successful Book, That The Next Book Never Pleases The Way The Prior One Did. It Simply Increased My Sense Of Being Challenged.

Book

Successful

Expectations

He Decided Then That He Would Love Her Forever No Matter What Came To Pass. It Was Not So Much A Matter Of Deciding As Accepting The Inevitability Of It. It Made Him Feel Better, Though He Felt Perturbed, Too, Worried That This Kiss Was Wrong. But From His Point Of View, At Fourteen Years Old, Their Love Was Entirely Unavoidable. It Had Started On The Day They'd Clung To His Glass Box And Kissed In The Sea, And Now It Must Go On Forever. He Felt Certain Of This.

Love

Kissing

Feel Better

Fiction Is Socially Meaningful.

Meaningful

Fiction

That The World Was Silent And Cold And Bare And That In This Lay Its Terrible Beauty

World

Cold

Silent

You Should Learn To Say Nothing That Will Cause You Regret. You Should Not Say What Is Not In Your Heart - Or What Is Only In Your Heart For A Moment. But You Know This - Silence Is Better.

Regret

Heart

Silence

I Have Relaxed Into My Persona As An Author, Although I Used To Fight That.

Fighting

Used

Persona

At One Level You're Condemned To The Voice You Have. But Within Those Confines, You Have A Certain Amount Of Freedom To Range Among Your Possible Voices.

Voice

Levels

Range

When It Comes Time To Sit Down And Write The Next Book, You're Deathly Afraid That You're Not Up To The Task. That Was Certainly The Case With Me After Snow Falling On Cedars.

Falling In Love

Book

Writing

It's A Brooding Melancholy That Haunts Me.

Melancholy

Brooding

The Real Question Is: How Do You React? What Do You Do Next? Evade Responsibilities? Bury Yourself In Work? What Do You Do? All Three Of My Novels Take Up That Question, Although None Gives An Answer.

Real

Responsibility

Giving

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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