On Writing

“It’s a very mysterious thing — writing. It’s like acting: You can study techniques until you drop over on your face. Then there’s the X factor. It’s not fair, because I know the most wonderful, the hardest-working people in the world that are actors. They know all the technical things, but nothing much happens. The same with many writers that I know. But with certain writers, their talent is the essence of the person. It’s something that’s uniquely theirs. It’s… grace, maybe. It’s like the palm of your hand. It’s your voice. You can pick up certain stories and know immediately who wrote that story after three or four paragraphs. I don’t think that can be taught, and I don’t know where that comes from. It’s one of the great mysteries, as far as I’m concerned.”

— Horton Foote

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