
From an 1886 letter written by Anton Chekhov:
"In the sphere of psychology, details are also the thing. God preserve us from commonplaces. Best of all is it to avoid depicting the hero's state of mind; you ought to try to make it clear from the hero's actions. It is not necessary to portray many characters. The center of gravity should be in two persons: him and her."
Flipping through a notebook from 1999, my last year in grad school, I discovered this passage from Chekhov. The advice strikes me as excellent -- he's Chekhov, after all -- and I only wish I'd paid more attention to it over the past ten years. It's funny how, the more you learn, the more that's left to learn -- and most of it is quite simple, and you knew it all along.
"It's funny how, the more you learn, the more that's left to learn -- and most of it is quite simple, and you knew it all along."
This is so very true! Love the Chekhov quote.
Posted by: Elaina Avalos | February 27, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Exactly! Chekhov was so right. A little goes a long way. Jane Austen on the other hand wrote a lot about the psychology and the hero's mind frame, and it turned out pretty well for her.
btw what's the countdown until your first novel resets literary history.
Posted by: Marvin | February 28, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Amazing quote, this sounds like something Hemingway would say as well. There isn't much to describe in a characters thoughts when it's all there in what he or she is doing!
Posted by: Alexander Field | April 15, 2009 at 06:58 PM