“I’m dazzled by your facility. In ten days you’ll have written six stories! I don’t understand it… I’m like one of those old aqueducts: there’s so much rubbish cogging up the banks of my thought that it flows slowly, and only spills from the end of my pen drop by drop.”
Analysis of Gustave Flaubert's Quote
In this quote, Gustave Flaubert reflects on his own writing process and compares it to someone else's. He acknowledges the efficiency and speed at which the other person is able to produce stories, contrasting it with his own experience of slow and laborious writing. Flaubert uses a metaphor of an old aqueduct to illustrate how his thoughts are cluttered with "rubbish," hindering the flow of his writing. This quote highlights the differences in writing styles and processes, emphasizing the unique challenges and obstacles that writers may face.
Overcoming Writer's Block in the Digital Age
In a world where productivity and output are highly valued, Gustave Flaubert's struggles with writer's block may seem all too familiar to many individuals. The pressure to constantly create and produce can lead to feelings of inadequacy and frustration for those who may experience slower creative processes. Flaubert's analogy of his thoughts being clogged like an old aqueduct resonates with the modern struggle of mental clutter and distraction. In a time where information overload is rampant and attention spans are shrinking, finding ways to clear the mental clutter and increase productivity is more important than ever.
Example of Usage
“I’m dazzled by your facility. In ten days you’ll have written six stories! I don’t understand it… I’m like one of those old aqueducts: there’s so much rubbish cogging up the banks of my thought that it flows slowly, and only spills from the end of my pen drop by drop.” - Gustave Flaubert
Reflection Questions:
Having self-awareness about your own writing process is important for growth and improvement. Consider the following questions to reflect on your own writing habits and challenges:
- What obstacles or distractions tend to slow down your writing process?
- How do you overcome writer's block or mental barriers when trying to write?
- Are there specific techniques or practices that help you improve your writing efficiency?
- How do you maintain a balance between quality and quantity when producing written work?
- What strategies could you implement to enhance your creativity and flow in writing?
Similar quotes
“I’m thirty-six years old, but I don’t feel like it. Some days I feel like I’m twenty-one, some days I feel like I’m pushing sixty.”
“You are going to end up as one of those sad old men who poke around in rubbish bins.”“I’m going to end up in a hole in the ground... And so are you. So are we all.”
“I don’t have much of a life now, and from what I’m told I’ll have even less where I’m going. If there’s something wonderful on this ship, I want to know what it is. This is my only chance.”-Peter”
“I think the reason why I don't read so much, is because as I have observed, whole books all boil down to a drop of essence. You can read a book full of ten thousand words and at the end, sum it up in one sentence; I am more for the one sentence. I am more for the essence. It's like how you need a truckload of roses to extract one drop of rose oil; I don't want to bother with the truckload of roses because I would rather walk away with the drop of rose oil. So in my mind, I have written two hundred books. Why? Because I have with me two hundred vials with one drop of essence in each!”
“I had been working hard at my book; it was one of those rare days of authorship when everything seemed to go right; the words flowed unbidden from my pen, and the time had passed unheeded, so that it was a shock to realise that I had been writing for some six hours.”