John M. Ford famous quotes

Last updated: Sep 5, 2024

I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons learned, comeuppances delivered, people sorted out, all before your bladder gets distractingly full. That's what I want. What I know is what we all know, whether we'll admit it or not: every attempt to impose the roundness of a well-made play on reality produces a disaster. Life just isn't so, nor will it be made so.
-- John M. Ford

#Reality #Play #Long
We're not lost. We're locationally challenged
-- John M. Ford

#Lost
Well, it's an adventure story, and a Bildungsroman, of course, but there was also the intention to describe a culture that had been seen in rather narrow terms.
-- John M. Ford

#Adventure #Culture #Stories
There are readers who want every point to be clearly and unambiguously set forth, and there are those who want to pry ideas and meanings out for themselves.
-- John M. Ford

#Writing #Ideas #Want
If I were to write Web now, it would be a much, much darker book.
-- John M. Ford

#Book #Writing #Would Be
The language fictional characters use is chosen for effect, at least if the author is concentrating.
-- John M. Ford

#Character #Use #Language
We're all living on borrowed time. The trick is to come up with works of sufficient interest to pay off the debt.
-- John M. Ford

#Debt #Pay #Borrowed Time
I don't think anyone wants a reader to be completely lost - certainly not to the point of giving up - but there's something to be said for a book that isn't instantly disposable, that rewards a second reading.
-- John M. Ford

#Giving Up #Book #Reading
Creating the fictional background for a game world isn't significantly different from creating a background for fiction.
-- John M. Ford

#Games #Creating #Different
I'm very happy that the New York Times has spoken well of my stuff; who wouldn't be? But it's not a choice I made.
-- John M. Ford

#New York #Choices #Stuff
At one point I intended to write precursor and sequel novels, about the establishment of the Web and its next evolution, but I am very unlikely to now; they would take place in a different universe.
-- John M. Ford

#Writing #Different #Next
Every book is three books, after all; the one the writer intended, the one the reader expected, and the one that casts its shadow when the first two meet by moonlight.
-- John M. Ford

#Book #Two #Shadow
Sometimes the reader will decide something else than the author's intent; this is certainly true of attempts to empirically decipher reality.
-- John M. Ford

#Reality #Sometimes #Reader
Observe, don't imitate.
-- John M. Ford

#Writing
There are people who believe in an absolutely transparent prose; with every respect for clarity of expression, I don't.
-- John M. Ford

#Believe #Expression #People

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