“I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head.”
In this quote, John Updike expresses his desire to create literature that has the power to unblock the flow of thoughts and ideas within people's minds. Through his writing, Updike aims to inspire and evoke emotions, allowing readers to navigate through their mental barriers and engage with his work in a way that resonates with them personally. By offering a key to unlock the "traffic jam" in our minds, Updike emphasizes the transformative and cathartic potential of literature to connect and impact individuals on a profound level.
John Updike's quote, "I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head," speaks to the timeless relevance of literature in stimulating imagination and creativity. In today's fast-paced and digitally-driven world, where distractions abound and attention spans are dwindling, the power of storytelling to spark new ideas and perspectives remains as important as ever. Updike's words remind us of the transformative impact that literature can have on our minds, clearing the clutter and allowing for fresh insights to flow. Whether through novels, poetry, or essays, writers continue to play a crucial role in helping people navigate the complexities of life and access the untapped potential of their own thoughts.
“I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head.” - John Updike
As John Updike stated, writing books that can unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head is a powerful goal. Here are some reflection questions to contemplate this idea further:
“There is no doubt that I have lots of words inside me; but at moments, like rush-hour traffic at the mouth of a tunnel, they jam.”
“Everybody who tells you how to act has whiskey on their breath.”
“When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas.”
“One world: everybody fucks everybody. When he thinks of all the fucking there's been in the world and all the fucking there's going to be, and none of it for him, here he sits in this stuffy car dying, his heart just sinks. He'll never fuck anybody again in his lifetime except poor Janice Springer, he sees this possibility ahead of him straight and grim as the known road.”
“We were all brought up to want things and maybe the world isn't big enough for all that wanting. I don't know. I don't know anything”
“From earliest childhood I was charmed by the materials of my craft, by pencils and paper and, later, by the typewriter and the entire apparatus of printing. To condense from one's memories and fantasies and small discoveries dark marks on paper which become handsomely reproducible many times over still seems to me, after nearly 30 years concerned with the making of books, a magical act, and a delightful technical process. To distribute oneself thus, as a kind of confetti shower falling upon the heads and shoulders of mankind out of bookstores and the pages of magazines is surely a great privilege and a defiance of the usual earthbound laws whereby human beings make themselves known to one another.”