Quotes by Elizabeth George

Essentially and most simply put, plot is what the characters do to deal with the situation they are in. It is a logical sequence of events that grow from an initial incident that alters the status quo of the characters.
– Elizabeth George
I attempt to write a good novel. Whether it is literature or not is something that will be decided by the ages, not by me and not by a pack of critics around the globe.
– Elizabeth George
I don't think anyone could write about another culture and get it 100 percent accurate.
– Elizabeth George
I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view.
– Elizabeth George
If I were governed by what I thought the reader wanted to read, then I would run the risk of writing formulaic books that the reader would sson grow tired of.
– Elizabeth George
It is the job of the novelist to touch the reader.
– Elizabeth George
Lots of people want to have written; they don't want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a book and their grinning picture on the back. But this is what comes at the end of a job, not at the beginning.
– Elizabeth George
No one can give another human being the soul of an artist, the sensibility of a writer, or the passion to put words on paper that is the gift and the curse of those who fashion poetry and prose. But it's ludicrous to suggest and short- sighted to believe that the fundamentals of fiction can't be taught.
– Elizabeth George
Novels were designed to entertain, and those of us who wish to keep the art form alive need to keep this in mind. To aim for lofty literature instead of aiming for a good story with real characters who grow and develop and a setting that's brought to life is... like putting the varnish on the canvas first.
– Elizabeth George
The art of writing is what you get to do once to do become familiar with the craft.
– Elizabeth George
Writing is no dying art form in America because most published writers here accept the wisdom and the necessity of encouraging the talent that follows in their footsteps.
– Elizabeth George
Writing was the way I felt most complete. It really has always fulfilled a need for creative balance in my life.
– Elizabeth George
I'm interested in the dark side of man. I'm interested in taboos, and murder is the greatest taboo. Characters are fascinating in their extremity, not in their happiness.
– Elizabeth George