Donald Hall Quotes

The definition of good prose is proper words in their proper places; of good verse, the most proper words in their proper places.The propriety is in either case relative. The words in prose ought to express the intended meaning, and no more; if they attract attention to themselves, it is, in general, a fault.

Never use the word, 'very.' It is the weakest word in the English language; doesn't mean anything. If you feel the urge of 'very' coming on, just write the word, 'damn,' in the place of 'very.' The editor will strike out the word, 'damn,' and you will have a good sentence.

Well you can't teach the poetry, but you can teach the craft.

Poetry and consumption are the most flattering of diseases.

Each word bears its weight, so you have to read my poems quite slowly.

Poetry is all nouns and verbs.

You don't make a poem with ideas, but with words.

I believe if a sentence is to retain its strength over time, it needs to be carefully made.

I sometimes talk about the making of a poem within the poem.

The object of poetic activity is essentially language: whatever his beliefs and convictions, the poet is more concerned with words than with what these words designate.

Poetry is an art, the easiest to dabble in, but the hardest to reach true excellence.

At Cornell University, my professor of European literature, Vladimir Nabokov, changed the way I read and the way I write. Words could paint pictures, I learned from him. Choosing the right word, and the right word order, he illustrated, could make an enormous difference in conveying an image or an idea.

In a poem the words should be as pleasing to the ear as the meaning is to the mind.

All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.

"Very" is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen. For example, would you rather hear the mincing shallowness of "I love you very much" or the heart-slamming intensity of "I love you"?

Every word you add dilutes the sentence.

The best advice on writing I've ever received was from William Zinsser: 'Be grateful for every word you can cut.'

The poets are the standard bearers of language. Their work lives or dies word by word. When I write and can hear a clunky sentence, I try to write up to the poetry that I have recited beforehand.

Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.

My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

What is poetry? Do not enquire. The secret dies by prying. How does the heart beat? I fainted when I saw it on the screen, opening and closing like a flower ... Poetry is like this, it is life moving, terrible, vivid. Look the other way when you write, or you might faint.

To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement.

The advice I continually give to young writers is this, "Learn to paint pictures with words." Not just once upon a time, but ... In the long secret dust of ages, beneath a blue forgotten sky, where trade winds caress the sun bleached shores of unknown realms ... See, as much as there are words in poetry, there is a poetry in words. Use it, stay faithful to the path you have set your heart upon and follow it.

The drivenness in any addiction is about the ruptured self, the belief that one is flawed as a person. The content of the addiction, whether it is alcoholism or work, is an attempt at an intimate relationship. The workaholic with her work or the alcoholic with his booze are having a love affair. Each alters mood to avoid the feeling of loneliness and hurt in the underbelly of shame.

I think fiction goes to poetry for the intensity of its use of language.