Literary Birthday – 13 May – Stephen R. Donaldson

Happy Birthday, Stephen R. Donaldson, born on 13 May 1947.

Stephen R. Donaldson Quotes

1. I respect my limitations, but I don’t use them as an excuse.
2. Everything dies, from the smallest blade of grass to the biggest galaxy.
3. We need metaphors of magic and monsters in order to understand the human condition.
4. There is no life which does not possess its own importance, no life which may not be touched by greatness at any time.
5. Any belief that puts itself beyond doubt nurtures its own collapse.
6. Futility is the defining characteristic of life. Pain is proof of existence.
7. I can’t write at all unless I know two things about the story in front of me: where I’m going (the eventual climax of the story, my reason for telling it), and the general shape of the path to that destination.
8. I don’t decide to write a story and then go looking for an idea. I only write a story because I have an idea.
9. With every new project I’ve tackled, I’ve raised my sights. And I’ve pushed myself in unfamiliar directions, even when the effort has been acutely uncomfortable. If I haven’t made myself a better writer, I should probably pack up my tents and go home.

Stephen R. Donaldson is an award-winning American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist. He is most famous for his 10-novel Grimdark fantasy series, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which began with Lord Foul’s Bane. ‘Covenant struggles against the tyrannical Lord Foul, who intends to break the physical universe in order to escape his bondage and wreak revenge upon his arch enemy, The Creator.’ (via) The novels sold more than 10 million copies.

Source for image: Danacea (https://www.flickr.com/photos/danacea/), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Source for writing quotes 7-9

by Amanda Patterson

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