King, Stephen -- On Writing, ch. 12 (2000)

Dave — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:25:53 +0000

Mostly, when I think of pacing, I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggests cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings).

Stephen King (b. 1947) American author
On Writing, ch. 12 (2000)
(Source)

See Leonard and Quiller-Couch.

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds]” ¶ 19 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866)]

Dave — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:09:58 +0000

Some find activity only in repose, and others repose only in movement.

[Les uns ne peuvent trouver d’activité que dans le repos, el les autres de repos que dans le mouvement.]

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds]” ¶ 19 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translation:

There are some who can only find activity in repose, and others who can only find repose in movement.
[tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 2, ¶ 11]

WIST Quotations

King, Stephen -- On Writing, ch. 12 (2000)

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds]” ¶ 19 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866)]