“In order to be clear it is necessary to at least consider the possibility that we actually may not be. It requires stepping outside of one’s self, reading a sentence as if we were another person (not us) who didn’t understand, and even sort of admire the newly minted gold on the screen or the page. It requires a kind of humility, an ability not to take everything personally and to separate ourselves from our work. Clarity is not only a literary quality but a spiritual one, involving, as it does, compassion for the reader.” Francine Prose
For more thoughts on the social value of literature, see here and here.
Compassion for the reader — what an excellent thing to cultivate.
Jan,
And I think that’s part of respecting the reader — not talking down to them, not taking them for granted. Writing has to be a two-way street.
Couldn’t have said it better. Writing is an art form of communication, which means thinking about the reader as well as yourself.
Robert,
So true.
Great quote.
Hey Mike! FYI, I just tagged you on my blog for a Quote Challenge, in case you want to play. Here’s the link: http://www.janmflynn.net/quote-challenge-living-life
Hope all is going brilliantly with you,
– Jan M Flynn
Jan,
I appreciate your thinking of me, but I don’t participate in online tags.
Shared with my fb feed. Thanks for sharing!😳