Tolstoy on writing. Riff re favorite author(s)

[Mark Kohut]

The most interesting books are those in which the author pretends to
hide his own opinion and yet remains faithful to it.

When rereading and revising, do not think about what should be added
(no matter how admirable the thoughts that come to mind) … but about
how much can be taken away without distorting the overall meaning.
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l