“I don't begin a novel or a screenplay until I know the ending. And I don't mean only that I have to know what happens. I mean that I have to hear the actual sentences. I have to know what atmosphere the words convey.”
Author details
Related authors
Other John Irving Quotes
There are few things as seemingly untouched by the real world as a child asleep.
John Irving 
61% of people like this quote
More than a half, maybe as much as two-thirds of my life as a writer is rewriting. I wouldn't say I have a talent that's special. It strikes me that I have an unusual kind of stamina.
John Irving
58% of people like this quote