From The Forest for the Trees:
“Everything you put on the page is a deliberate manipulation of what happened, written to keep the reader entertained, moved, sympathetic, horrified, scared, whatever. You are never writing what really happened. Instead, you are choosing words, building images, creating a rhythm, sense, and structure through which to move your characters and unfold your story. You are making a thousand minuscule choices that you hope will add up in such a way that your readers believe what they’re reading is real. And this is why, when the writer is successful, the best fiction reads like nonfiction and the best nonfiction like a novel.” ~ Betsy Lerner
What did you take in this weekend?
Those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I love the quote as well! 🙂
Thanks, Emerald. I was out and about this weekend, surrounded by Fall — so much to see!
Ah, autumn. We’ve been basking in it too. Thanks for the quote, Christi. The last line is one of those truths you feel, but never know how to name.
Yay for Wisconsin Autumns 🙂
And, I’ve been thinking about that specific line for days.
Ooo-la-lah, what a post. Love Lerner’s book. It’s one of the few craft books I own that I was drawn to by its title and cover. Boy am I glad I was. There are a thousand minuscule sights, sounds, smells, and feelings to draw upon in autumn. Thanks for sharing some of yours. Gorgeous.
Thanks, Vaughn 🙂 Glad you liked the photos, too. This is such the perfect time of year, with all the contrasting colors and crunching leaves…I love it!
What a quote . . . really speaks to me too. I’ve been thinking lately about how much more I enjoy writing non-fiction than fiction. Not sure what to do with that knowledge . . . in some ways I wish I could make my fiction feel more like the non-fiction, or least have it come as easily to me. I like how Lerner puts it . . . now, HOW to achieve it!
“…at least have it come as easily to me.”
Yep, I’m with you. I’m hoping I just need more practice. I complete a blog post more often than I finish writing a short story, so I wonder if that has anything to do with the nonfiction writing flowing a little faster than the fiction….