Ishmael Reed

"No one says a novel has to be one thing.  It can be anything it wants to be, a vaudeville show, the six o'clock news, the mumblings of wild men saddled with demons."

— Ishmael Reed

American Novelist/Poet

1938 - 

What is a novel?  What makes a novel a great novel? Each generation rewrites the rules that govern creative work like poetry, novels, paintings, sculpture and music.  Each generation redefines what makes great art.  Are you a rule-breaker or a rule-follower?  Do you lead the way or do you follow the leaders?  Learn to step outside your comfort zone and become more than you are.  Learn to recreate yourself again and again.  Learn to break the rules and refashion the pieces into a new and more powerful sword that opens the mind and hearts of others.

 I first read the Free-Lance Pallbearers back in the late 1960's and fell in love with its irreverence.  Ishmael Reed changed the rules with his novels.

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Samuel Butler

"Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule."

— Samuel Butler

English Novelist

1835 - 1902

Do you create by following rules?  Or do you create by ear, feeling and instinct?  I believe the best artists, writers and musicians create by their gut — ear, feeling and instinct.  The best creative leaders know the rules but also know when and where to break the rules or throw them out the window.  When the rules are telling you one thing and your gut is telling you another, follow your gut.  You will be the better artist for it.

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