"A good writer is not, per se, a good book critic. No more so than a good drunk is automatically a good bartender"

The quote by Jim Bishop draws a parallel in between writing and criticism, 2 unique but often conflated abilities. By stating that "a great writer is not, per se, an excellent book critic", Bishop highlights the distinction in between the development of literature and the examination of it. Writing needs creativity, imagination, and the ability to weave narratives, while critiquing requires analytical abilities, neutrality, and the capability to assess and analyze complicated concepts and structures within a text. The two functions, though associated, require different know-how and outlooks.

By comparing a writer to a drunk and a critic to a bartender, Bishop injects humor and a component of surprise to show his point. An excellent intoxicated might have countless stories, uninhibited imagination, and a special point of view, much like a skilled author. However, they do not have the objectivity and accuracy needed of a bartender, who should manage resources, address customer needs, and preserve control over the environment. Likewise, a writer's capability to develop does not always enhance them with the critical tools to deconstruct or examine the works of others.

Bishop's example suggests that both writing and critiquing demand different ability and cognitive techniques. An excellent writer might be too close to the art, just like an intoxicated is too consumed by the beverage, to provide reasonable and well balanced criticism. The author might come with intrinsic predispositions, whereas an experienced critic techniques with an analytical lens, simply as a bartender works out judgment to handle the impacts of alcohol.

Eventually, Bishop is explaining that exceling in one function does not immediately certify one for the other. Both composing and book criticism are art kinds that require practice, knowledge, and unique methods, advising us that success in one domain does not suggest proficiency in another.