Telling a True Story: Using the Techniques of Fiction (Ch. 7)

"But honest sentiment--true human feeling--is the most valuable literary commodity there is." --Philip Gerard, page 130 of Creative Nonfiction

I love to read, and have always loved to read, because it is one way to really connect with a person. When a story or book is well-written, it shows us something about life that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. In this sentence, Gerard is referring to the difference between true sentiment and being sentimental, a difference that every writer must learn if they want to be original and make real art. I think that writing isn't always seen as art because there is so much fluff writing out there--words that just reiterate the same, tired ideas and feelings we've been exposed to over and over. Being able to express the human condition is something that all good writers do; that's why their work is timeless. Any human could read it and feel a connection to the writer.