BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

A Short Story is a like a knife…Michael Swanwick Quotes for Writers (and people who like quotes)

Knife cutting orange

A short story…can be held in the mind all in one piece. It’s less like a building than a fiendish device. Every bit of it must be cunningly made and crafted to fit together perfectly and without waste so it can perform its task with absolute precision. That purpose might be to move the reader to tears or wonder, to awaken the conscience, to console, to gladden, or to enlighten. But each short story has one chief purpose, and every sentence, phrase, and word is crafted to achieve that end. The ideal short story is like a knife – strongly made, well balanced, and with an absolute minimum of moving parts.
Michael Swanwick

photo credit: How to Cut an Orange via photopin (license)

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This entry was posted on February 28, 2016 by in Quotes and tagged , .

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