“It can be said that one slip of point of view by a writer can hurt a story badly, and several slips can be fatal.' Stein on Writing”
Sol Stein“In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories”
Sol Stein, How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them“I see manuscripts and books that are spoiled for the literary reader because they are one long stream of top-of-the-head writing, a writer telling a story without concern for precision or freshness in the use of language. Some of this storytelling reads as if it were spoken rather than written, stuffed with tired images that pop into the writer's head because they are so familiar. The top of the head is fit for growing hair, but not for generating fine prose.”
Sol Stein, How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them“Say it new or say it straight.”
Sol Stein, Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies