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To any writer: Teach yourself to work in uncertainty. Many writers are anxious when they begin, or try something new.

Bernard Malamud

The short story packs a self in a few pages predicating a lifetime
BERNARD MALAMUD

Pages Self Stories
A man has to construct, invent, his freedom.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Constructs Freedom Invent Men
The first draft of a book is the most uncertain-where you need guts, the ability to accept the imperfect until it is better.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Accept Book Imperfect Uncertain Until
One often feels helpless in the face of the confusion of these times, such a mass of apparently uncontrollable events and experiences to live through, attempt to understand.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Apparteally Attempt Confusion Experience Time Uncontrolled
First drafts are for learning what your story is about.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Draft Firsts Learn Stories
I love metaphor. It provides two loaves where there seems to be one. Sometimes it throws in a load of fish.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Metaphor Sometimes Two
You write by sitting down and writing. There’s no particular time or place—you suit yourself, your nature.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Down Sitting Writing
I don’t think you can do anything for anyone without giving up something of your own.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Give Up Giving Thinking
Some men are by nature explorers; my nature is to stay under the same moon and stars, and if the weather is wet, under the same roof. It’s a strange world, why make it stranger?
BERNARD MALAMUD

Adventure Moon Stars
I sometimes confuse myself with the little I know.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Knowledge Littles Sometime
Writers who can’t invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn’t paint people, so he painted chairs.
BERNARD MALAMUD

People Stories Style
Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Teaching Uncertainty Writing
Overnight business could go down enough to hurt; yet as a rule it slowly recovered-sometimes it seemed to take forever-went up, not high enough to be really up, only not down.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Down Forever Hurt Obstacles Overnight
All my life I wanted to accomplish something worthwhile-a thing people will say took a little something.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Accomplishment Littles People
It was all those biographies in me yelling, ‘We want out. We want to tell you what we’ve done to you.’
BERNARD MALAMUD

Biography Done Want Yelling
No use fanning up hot coals when you have to walk across them.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Across Anger Coal Hot

To any writer: Teach yourself to work in uncertainty. Many writers are anxious when they begin, or try something new.

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To any writer: Teach yourself to work in uncertainty. Many writers are anxious when they begin, or try something new.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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