267 Quotes About Narrative

Creating a relatable narrative means digging deep, asking hard questions and potentially airing some uncomfortable truths.

Story should be a descent -- the feeling that there is an intense gravity to the narrative that draws you down, down, down.

What other species now require of us is our attention. Otherwise, we are entering a narrative of disappearing intelligences.

Everyone listened to this amusing narrative with great interest, and the moment that Behemoth concluded it, they all shouted in unison: 'Lies!

the voice is simply the emotions and thoughts of the writerexpressed through the eyes of the character, his behavior, thoughts, actions, dialogues and affectations.

Writing allows us to exploit the synergistic dynamics of the human brain including memory, the ability to engage in constructive research, visually scrutinize our private thoughts, and discuss and share an evolving linkwork of thoughts with other people.

The pleasure of this kind of narrative is not that we think we are reading about the real world (although the story usually does map onto our world fairly closely), but rather that the wings of symmetry are unfolding around us; briefly we are on a planet where, as E.M. Forster says, there are no secrets and human behavior makes sense. I call this 'fiction.

Listen to what you have written. A dud rhythm in a passage of dialogue may show that you don't yet understand the characters well enough to write in their voices."[Ten rules for writing fiction (The Guardian, 20 February 2010)]

Ends and origins are not inherent in the world. It is you, not the world, who calls the shots in this respect. Wherever you make a start, however, you may be sure that an enormous amount will have happend already. And whenever you call a halt, a great deal will carry on regardless.