# Have you heard of the fictional writer who spent his whole life crafting one sentence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 30, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658 "2022-01-30T19:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/1 "2022-01-30T19:25:22Z")
I once heard a passing reference to a fictional writer who was such a perfectionist that he spent an entire lifetime writing and rewriting a single sentence. Does anyone know by chance what novel or story this comes from? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/2 "2022-01-30T19:52:36Z")
It reminds me of Leaf by Niggle, an excellent short story by J.R.R. Tolkien. Niggle was an artist who never completed the picture of a tree he started, but nearly perfected a leaf. > **[Leaf by Niggle - a symbolic story about a small painter](https://tolkienlibrary.com/reviews/leafbyniggle.htm)** > > Tolkien wrote a little symbolic story which is an absolute pearl and one of my favourite Tolkien stories Part of the reminder is that Prof Tolkien himself kept writing and rewriting what was edited into the Silmarillion starting in 1917 and up until his death. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/3 "2022-01-30T19:56:12Z")
I suspect he didn’t spend his whole life, just a period of it. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/4 "2022-01-30T20:05:34Z")
Sounds like something I read in a John Barth novel. I believe he polished an entire short story down to a single word. “Olive.” ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/5 "2022-01-30T20:06:52Z")
This feels like something Louis Borges could have written.The closest I can think of is “The Secret Miracle”, a playwright is to be executed and prays for a years respite to finish his play. This is granted: at the moment the soldiers are ordered to fire their rifles, time is frozen. For a year he stands in front of the execution squad and writes and rewrites his play in his head. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/6 "2022-01-30T20:28:19Z")
Would that be a “life sentence”? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/7 "2022-01-30T20:37:24Z")
Yes. I suppose it would. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/8 "2022-01-30T20:44:16Z")
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/9 "2022-01-30T21:39:45Z")
Aw crap, it ends in a semicolon. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/10 "2022-01-30T22:12:05Z")
“As it happens, I’m owed a lot of money,” said Ford, “so if I ever get hold of it, can I come and see you then maybe?” “Sure, I’ll be here,” said the girl. “So how much is a lot?” “Fifteen years’ back pay.” “For?” “Writing two words.” “Zarquon,” said the girl. “Which one took the time?” “The first one. Once I’d got that the second one just came one afternoon after lunch.” - So Long And Thanks For All The Fish. Chapter 5 Douglas Adams ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/11 "2022-01-30T23:41:20Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > I once heard a passing reference to a fictional writer who was such a perfectionist that he spent an entire lifetime writing and rewriting a single sentence. > > Does anyone know by chance what novel or story this comes from? I have a vague recollection of that from The Plague by Albert Camus. If I recall correctly, the sentence was all variations on a girl/woman riding a chestnut horse. Can’t remember all the details, I think I read that book about 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/12 "2022-01-31T01:28:26Z")
I think this is from Dickens. ---
**Author:** ![castanea108](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/castanea108/32/5536_2.png) [@castanea108](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/castanea108)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/13 "2022-01-31T01:48:18Z")
That’s what I remember also. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/14 "2022-01-31T02:52:08Z")
> [@Chelonaut](#): > > “The Secret Miracle”, a playwright is to be executed and prays for a years respite to finish his play. This is granted: at the moment the soldiers are ordered to fire their rifles, time is frozen. For a year he stands in front of the execution squad and writes and rewrites his play in his head. Sounds similar to _An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge._ ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/15 "2022-01-31T02:59:32Z")
Reminds me of a character in a Mark Leyner novel. He was a respected, prominent copywriter, most known for writing the sign on the men’s room door that said “Men”. It was a disappointment in his career though that he did not write the corresponding sign, “Women.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/16 "2022-01-31T03:30:31Z")
No TV and no beer make Homer something something. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/17 "2022-01-31T05:42:01Z")
I came to say it was from _The Plague_, but Broomstick beat me to it. The writer was named Grand, and he would spend whole weeks on a single conjunction. The sentence (as it reads when we get to see it) is, “One fine morning in the month of May an elegant young horsewoman might have been riding a handsome sorrel mare along the flowery avenues of the Bois de Boulogne.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/18 "2022-01-31T08:22:06Z")
It has to be said > **novel writing from Dorchester** > > [Monty Python - Novel Writing - YouTube](https://youtu.be/ogPZ5CY9KoM) ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/19 "2022-01-31T12:13:13Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I have a vague recollection of that from The Plague by Albert Camus. If I recall correctly, the sentence was all variations on a girl/woman riding a chestnut horse. Can’t remember all the details, I think I read that book about 30 years ago. > [@Nyvaak](#): > > I came to say it was from _The Plague_ , but Broomstick beat me to it. The writer was named Grand, and he would spend whole weeks on a single conjunction. Further responses are welcome, but this was probably the example I was trying to recall. Thanks to both of you! > [@Nyvaak](#): > > “One fine morning in the month of May an elegant young horsewoman might have been riding a handsome sorrel mare along the flowery avenues of the Bois de Boulogne.” Evocative prose, to be sure, but it could use some tweaking. > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Reminds me of a character in a Mark Leyner novel. He was a respected, prominent copywriter, most known for writing the sign on the men’s room door that said “Men”. It was a disappointment in his career though that he did not write the corresponding sign, “Women.” Oh wow, your comment had me pulling a Mark Leyner novel off the shelf (_The Tetherballs of Bougainville_) to reread it! His writing is so ingenious and yet has really flown under the radar! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658/20 "2022-01-31T13:30:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “As it happens, I’m owed a lot of money,” said Ford, “so if I ever get hold of it, can I come and see you then maybe?” > “Sure, I’ll be here,” said the girl. “So how much is a lot?” > “Fifteen years’ back pay.” > “For?” > “Writing two words.” > “Zarquon,” said the girl. “Which one took the time?” > “The first one. Once I’d got that the second one just came one afternoon after lunch.” > > - So Long And Thanks For All The Fish. Chapter 5 > Douglas Adams Ironically, Douglas Adams himself was said to be pretty much the same way, rewriting one page over and over again until it was to his satisfaction. Not quite spending your whole life on one sentence, but still an eccentric way to go about writing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-the-fictional-writer-who-spent-his-whole-life-crafting-one-sentence/958658.md?page=2)