"Writing and telling are almost the same, the way I do it"
About this Quote
Pinkwater’s line is a sly mission statement disguised as a shrug. “Writing and telling are almost the same” isn’t an argument about craft so much as a declaration of allegiance: he’s on the side of voice. The clause that matters is the tag at the end - “the way I do it” - which quietly refuses the whole workshop-industrial idea that writing is primarily architecture, polish, and distance. Pinkwater’s books often feel like someone leaning in mid-anecdote, letting the weirdness of the world arrive in a conversational rush. He’s claiming that effect is the point.
The subtext is a gentle rebellion against literary prestige. If writing is “telling,” then the page stops pretending to be a museum label and starts acting like a live performance. That choice carries consequences: it licenses digression, exaggeration, odd timing, the comic sidestep. It also reframes authority. The narrator isn’t an omniscient god; he’s a person with a tone, a rhythm, a set of enthusiasms. The reader isn’t decoding; they’re listening.
Context matters because Pinkwater comes out of a distinctly American tradition where storytelling is a social act - tall tales, radio patter, stand-up cadence, the kid-friendly yarn that smuggles in adult absurdity. “Almost the same” leaves just enough gap to honor the medium: writing can’t literally be a voice in air, but it can simulate intimacy, speed, and mischief. The line works because it’s modest and provocative at once, inviting you to stop worshipping the sentence and start hearing it.
The subtext is a gentle rebellion against literary prestige. If writing is “telling,” then the page stops pretending to be a museum label and starts acting like a live performance. That choice carries consequences: it licenses digression, exaggeration, odd timing, the comic sidestep. It also reframes authority. The narrator isn’t an omniscient god; he’s a person with a tone, a rhythm, a set of enthusiasms. The reader isn’t decoding; they’re listening.
Context matters because Pinkwater comes out of a distinctly American tradition where storytelling is a social act - tall tales, radio patter, stand-up cadence, the kid-friendly yarn that smuggles in adult absurdity. “Almost the same” leaves just enough gap to honor the medium: writing can’t literally be a voice in air, but it can simulate intimacy, speed, and mischief. The line works because it’s modest and provocative at once, inviting you to stop worshipping the sentence and start hearing it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Pinkwater, Daniel. (2026, January 16). Writing and telling are almost the same, the way I do it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/writing-and-telling-are-almost-the-same-the-way-i-121967/
Chicago Style
Pinkwater, Daniel. "Writing and telling are almost the same, the way I do it." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/writing-and-telling-are-almost-the-same-the-way-i-121967/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Writing and telling are almost the same, the way I do it." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/writing-and-telling-are-almost-the-same-the-way-i-121967/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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