John Banville Quotes About Writing

Quotes about: Writing

• Fictional characters are made of words, not flesh; they do not have free will, they do not exercise volition. They are easily born, and as easily killed off.

  John Banville

  Writing, Character, Exercise

  FaceBook post by John Banville from Nov 16, 2012

• In order really to write one has to sink deep into the self and become lost there.

  John Banville

  Writing, Self, Order

• Writing keeps me at my desk, constantly trying to write a perfect sentence. It is a great privilege to make one's living from writing sentences. The sentence is the greatest invention of civilization. To sit all day long assembling these extraordinary strings of words is a marvelous thing. I couldn't ask for anything better. It's as near to godliness as I can get.

  John Banville

  Writing, Civilization, Long

  "John Banville, The Art of Fiction No. 200". Interview with Belinda McKeon, www.theparisreview.org. 2009.

• A plot begins when somebody has something to hide.

  John Banville

  Writing, Plot

  "'A Death In Summer' Starts With A Mysterious Suicide". Interview with Scott Simon, www.npr.org. July 2, 2011.

• I live in Dublin, God knows why. There are greatly more congenial places I could have settled in - Italy, France, Manhattan - but I like the climate here, and Irish light seems to be essential for me and for my writing.

  John Banville

  Writing, Light, Climate

• The effect of prizes on one's career - if that is what to call it - is considerable, since they give one more clout with publishers and more notoriety among journalists. The effect on one's writing, however, is nil - otherwise, one would be in deep trouble.

  John Banville

  Writing, Careers, Giving

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