Serge Schmemann

Writing for adults and writing for young people is really not that different. As a reporter, I have always tried to write as clearly and simply as possible. I like clean, unadorned writing. So writing for a younger audience was largely an exercise in making my prose even more clear and direct, and in avoiding complicated digressions.

Journalist

John Irving

I believe you have constructive accidents en route through a novel only because you have mapped a clear way. If you have confidence that you have a clear direction to take, you always have confidence to explore other ways; if they prove to be mere digressions, you'll recognize that and make the necessary revisions.

American Novelist

Erik Larson

Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten and that are kind of surprising.

American Author

G. Willow Wilson

In prose, you have a lot more room for digression, for very meaty kinds of dialogues. In graphic novels, you're writing haiku-length dialogue. Your job is to be efficient, to get out of the way of the art.

American Writer

Daniel Woodrell

I tell the story by feel most of the time, and I am not much given to labyrinthian digressions but seem to be naturally drawn to compression and pace, and the feelings come about on their own.

P. J. O'Rourke

Excessive speed and quantity are, like chattiness and digression, besetting sins of cyber-assisted authorship.

American Comedian

Varun Tej

Fidaa' completely sticks to being a love story. It doesn't have any digressions. Opposites attract, they say.

Indian Actor

Mike Birbiglia

Sometimes people say, 'You're the best at digressions.' And that's actually a real compliment to me.

Robert Burns

And there begins a lang digression about the lords o' the creation.

Scottish Poet

William Vickrey

This paper was one of my digressions into abstract economics.

Canadian Educator

Use digressions sparingly so the main topic isn't overshadowed by side comments.

Stay Relevant

Signal your return to the main subject after a digression to keep listeners on track.

Signpost Clearly

Make sure your digressions are engaging and enrich the main topic.

Maintain Engagement

Digressions can be off-putting in formal contexts where focus is expected.

Appropriate Context

Connect your digressions back to the main subject to enhance understanding.

Relate Back

Consider the mood of your audience before diverging into a personal story.

Moody Audience

In literature, digressions can add depth and background to the narrative.

Literary Enhancement

Overuse of digressions in writing can confuse readers; balance them with the main plot.

Balanced Use

A digression can change the tone temporarily, such as adding humor in a serious text.

Tone Shift

 Why do wars start? What are good battlefield tactics? Do nations rise and fall on the actions of so-called great men like Napoleon, or are there larger cultural and economic forces at play? These extended digressions are part of what make "War and Peace" so panoramic in scope.

Why should you read...

 and a bit of a dumb blonde. Dionysians don't do balance. Balance, in other words, has never been my strong point. But I digress. More and more these days, digression seems the most direct route through