Vincent Canby Quotes

I like stories that leave you wanting more, leave you wondering, but don't tell you everything.

We are all like Scheherazade's husband, in that we want to know what happens next.

Suspense is my thing. I think I am able to make people want to keep turning pages. They want to know what happens.

I wish something on T.V. would trouble me. Then maybe I would watch it.

I know what it's like to be genuinely intrigued and compelled by a story and to have a sense that there's an adventure to be had and a film to be conjured.

In 'Lost,' they really believed in the mystery box and not looking too much inside the mystery box. It was some kind of idea generator that you didn't need to dissect and open up. And that's absolutely fascinating and an engaging way to tell a story.

Cliffhangers are a lot of fun, but I think they can be easily abused if you're not careful.

When you have 12 hours of storytelling, the cool thing about it is that you get to really leave people with question marks, but hopefully wanting to come back.

I'm following my interests, and there's something about investigating the world and creating a watchable, entertaining programme out of it that is deeply satisfying.

We're moved by emotions and characters and stories. We love that.

I completely hold on to the idea that people are eager if not desperate to be told a good story.

Forget narrative, backstory, characterisation, exposition, all of that. Just make the audience want to know what happens next.

The first thing we see about a short story is its mystery. And in the best short stories, we return at the last to see mystery again

Will the reader turn the page?

It's kind of part of human nature to want to know the truth or want to be in on the secret. For stories that focus in on that - like whodunits - it's easy to get drawn into.

You know, we love stories and we love narrative; we love to get lost in an author's world.

I'm writing for my ideal reader, for somebody who's willing to take the time, who's willing to get lost in a new world, who's willing to do their part. But then I have to do my part and give them a sound and a voice that they believe in enough to keep going.

When there's an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that's what makes you lean forward.

People love to be told stories, but it's the sugar that draws you into the theater.

I like to believe that if you pay close attention to the sentences as they unfold, they will draw you in rather than pushing you away.

I can be so blown away by story lines.

I love the novel because it's like a love affair. You can just fall into it and keep going, and you never know where it's going to take you.

My first duty to write a gripping yarn. Second is to convey credible characters who make you feel what they feel. Only third comes the idea.

Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?

I love a really good storyline.