John Banville Quote

For me, a line has to sing before it does anything else. The great thrill is when a sentence that starts out being completely plain suddenly begins to sing, rising far above itself and above any expectation I might have had for it. That's what keeps me going on those dark December days when I think about how I could be living instead of writing.

John Banville, The Art of Fiction No. 200 (2009)

For me, a line has to sing before it does anything else. The great thrill is when a sentence that starts out being completely plain suddenly begins...

For me, a line has to sing before it does anything else. The great thrill is when a sentence that starts out being completely plain suddenly begins...

For me, a line has to sing before it does anything else. The great thrill is when a sentence that starts out being completely plain suddenly begins...

For me, a line has to sing before it does anything else. The great thrill is when a sentence that starts out being completely plain suddenly begins...