“If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule—a great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last.”

—  John Steinbeck

Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule—a great and interesting story is about e…" by John Steinbeck?
John Steinbeck photo
John Steinbeck366
American writer 1902–1968

Related quotes

John Steinbeck photo

“If a story is not about the hearer he [or she] will not listen… A great lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting--only the deeply personal and familiar.”

John Steinbeck book East of Eden

Source: East of Eden

John Steinbeck photo

“And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen.”

John Steinbeck book East of Eden

Source: East of Eden

Patrick Rothfuss photo

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

Stephen King photo

“The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.”

Stephen King (1947) American author

Source: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Terry Pratchett photo

“The thing about stories is you have to pick the ones that last.”

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author

Source: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

Gene Wolfe photo

“My definition of a great story has nothing to do with "a varied and interesting background." It is: One that can be read with pleasure by a cultivated reader and reread with increasing pleasure. The business about a varied and interesting background belongs to my definition of a good story.”

Gene Wolfe (1931–2019) American science fiction and fantasy writer

"From a Chain letter to George R. R. Martin and Greg Benford", 10 July 1982; as published in Castle of Days (1992)
Nonfiction

“At this point in my life, I don’t worry about telling a literary story or the right story; I tell the story I want to tell, the story that makes me feel alive, the questions I want to answer.”

Amulya Malladi (1974) Indian writer

On not caring about what other people think about her writing in “An Interview with Amulya Malladi” http://jaggerylit.com/an-interview-with-amulya-malladi/ in Jaggery

Anne Rice photo

“The Vampire Lestat here. I have a story to tell you. It's about something that happened to me.”

Anne Rice The Tale of the Body Thief

Lestat
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)

Lady Gaga photo

“You listeners, the ones who found me first are, I believe, the future of great art thinkers. Because anyone that's found me now I really think is grabbing on to the ideas that I have, more than anything. It's about the music but it's also about the story. So thank you guys for loving and reading the story and being as into it and as passionate as I am.”

Lady Gaga (1986) American singer, songwriter, and actress

Interview with DJ Ron Slomowicz at About.com http://dancemusic.about.com/od/artistshomepages/a/LadyGagaInt_2.htm

Related topics