My favorite short-story writer is John Cheever Irwin Shaw More Quotes by Irwin Shaw More Quotes From Irwin Shaw Writing is like a contact sport, like football. You can get hurt, but you enjoy it. Irwin Shaw hurt football sports There are too many books I haven’t read, too many places I haven’t seen, too many memories I haven’t kept long enough. Irwin Shaw memories long book An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment the world hands out and the punishment he inflicts upon himself. Irwin Shaw punishment writing hands Writing is like a contact sport, like football. Why do kids play football? They can get hurt on any play, can't they? Yet they can't wait until Saturday comes around so they can play on the high school team, or the college team, and get smashed around. Writing is like that. You can get hurt, but you enjoy it! Irwin Shaw football sports life I never drink while I'm working, but after a few glasses I get ideas that would never have occurred to me dead sober. Irwin Shaw glasses writing ideas If football players were armed with guns, there wouldn't be stadiums large enough to hold the crowds. Irwin Shaw gun player football I haven't stuck to any formula. Most great writers stick to the same style, but I wanted to be more various Irwin Shaw stuck style sticks People who light up like Roman candles come down in the dark very quickly. Irwin Shaw light dark people I'm not as hopeful as I was when I was young Irwin Shaw hopeful young A good editor understands what you're talking and writing about and doesn't meddle too much. Irwin Shaw editors writing talking I imagine that my characters have become much more complicated than when I first began, which would be normal Irwin Shaw literature would-be character My views naturally have mellowed. Most of the critics have been more or less nice to me Irwin Shaw nice literature views Posterity makes the judgments. There are going to be a lot of surprises in store for everybody. Irwin Shaw judgment surprise literature Ernest Hemingway did a great deal toward making the writer an acceptable public figure; obviously, he was no sissy. Irwin Shaw figure-skating sissy figures Every novelist has a different purpose-and often several purposes which might even be contradictory. Irwin Shaw novelists different writing No writer need feel sorry for himself if he writes and enjoys it, even if he doesn't get paid. Irwin Shaw sorry feelings writing The last paragraph in which you tell what the story is about is almost always best left out. Irwin Shaw lasts literature stories The great writers just kept bringing them out. They didn't care if they repeated themselves. Irwin Shaw great-writers care literature In the theater, characters have to cut the umbilical cord from the writer and talk in their own voices Irwin Shaw cutting voice character Critics in New York are made by their dislikes, not by their enthusiasms. Irwin Shaw new-york enthusiasm made
