31 Quotes by Lee Gutkind

As writers we intend to make a difference, to alter people's lives for the greater good. . .this is why we write, to have an impact on society, to put a personal stamp on history. . .Art and literature are the legacies we leave to succeeding generations. We'll be forgotten, but our books and essays, our stories and poems can survive us. . .

Creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and often more accessible.

Storytelling, a primitive art, is as old as the beginning of mankind. People want to receive what’s out there in the form of stories, not just facts, opinion, analysis.

Maybe I have a one-track mind, but the best writers and thinkers are focusing on nonfiction these days; this is the genre where a writer can make a mark and change an aspect of the world – much more so than in fiction.

And there are two types of stories. One type is one’s own story. The other type is telling the stories of others. Thanks to this genre, writers of nonfiction can now use the tools of the reporter, the points of view and ear for dialog of a novelist, and the passion and wordplay of the poet.

My idea of a good time is sitting quietly with my own thoughts and not making eye contact with anyone.

The problem with reality TV is that creative writers are not involved; TV folks are, and some journalists who will only mine the surface of subjects. Hard work necessary for discovering and delineating the intimacies of the subjects they capture is mostly avoided.

Most writers want to share their essay or book much too quickly. Those who accept the pain of hard work and revising are those who get published.

The seeds of genius are in many blogs, but bloggers lack the interest in or understanding of the difference between blogging and fully-formed literary efforts.