littleboxes
On Projects and Process
Tobias Wolff (novelist) talks to The Believer about the writing process:
Everything I've written, including this book [Old School], has seemed to me, at one point or another, something I probably ought to abandon. Even the best things I've written have seemed to me at some point very unlikely to be worth the effort I had already put into them. But I know I have to push through. Sometimes when I get to the other end it still won't be that great, but at least I will have finished it. For me, it's more important to keep the discipline of finishing things than to be assured at every moment that it's worth doing.
We don't believe that the article is available online. Pick up a copy of The Believer, it's a fine magazine (with no advertising!!).
They do have an entire interview with Steve Martin available.
Steve says (among other things): “THERE’S A MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE FAMOUS AND IT’S UNBEARABLE TO GO OUT BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO FAMOUS. AND THEN THERE’S A MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE FAMOUS JUST RIGHT.”
Everything I've written, including this book [Old School], has seemed to me, at one point or another, something I probably ought to abandon. Even the best things I've written have seemed to me at some point very unlikely to be worth the effort I had already put into them. But I know I have to push through. Sometimes when I get to the other end it still won't be that great, but at least I will have finished it. For me, it's more important to keep the discipline of finishing things than to be assured at every moment that it's worth doing.
We don't believe that the article is available online. Pick up a copy of The Believer, it's a fine magazine (with no advertising!!).
They do have an entire interview with Steve Martin available.
Steve says (among other things): “THERE’S A MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE FAMOUS AND IT’S UNBEARABLE TO GO OUT BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO FAMOUS. AND THEN THERE’S A MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE FAMOUS JUST RIGHT.”
posted by littleboxes at 12:09 PM
3 Comments:
Thanks for the T. Wolff quote. His thoughts apply to lots of things - even knitting projects. I'm on my way to buy The Believer right now!
a good quote indeed.
My late father taught me many important lessons. One of them was to always finish what you start. It's a lesson i always try to practice. Now when i do finish any project (big or small) I always smile and fondly remember him.
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