David Starkey Quotes

#1. I admire writers who have the tenacity to write a blog, and I'm told by everyone that it's an important element in remaining visible in the online world. That said, I'm personally turned off by writers' blogs that do nothing but sing their own accomplishments.

David Starkey

#2. Embrace the melancholic voice completely in the drafting stages, to explore it for all it's worth. Then, in revision, privilege craft over pure feeling. Write the work that someone besides you will want to read.

David Starkey

#3. I think my cheerfulness keeps my writing from sinking into the depths of melancholy, while the darker side keeps in check any literary silliness I might be inclined toward.

David Starkey

#4. I would put forward a modest proposition that we were very much better governed by Henry VIII than we are by King Gordon.

David Starkey

#5. If you really want people to pay attention to how you feel, you need to express your feelings in language that's worth reading.

David Starkey

#6. Once a piece of writing gets to a moment where it's not going to get much better than it already is, marinate it. If you still like the piece, send it out and see what others think. If not, it's time to put it away and forget about it for a while.

David Starkey

#7. I do think poetry needs to invite the reader, especially when there are so many other distractions while reading.

David Starkey

#8. We tend to think of the Norman Conquest as the turning point in the history of England. But the Saxon Conquest was even more important, since it created both the reality and the idea of England itself.

David Starkey