"Open A Vein and Bleed"
Smith is one probable source for the quotation, "Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed," although he did not use these exact words. In 1946, sportswriter Paul Gallico wrote, "It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader." In 1949, columnist Walter Winchell wrote, "Red Smith was asked if turning out a daily column wasn’t quite a chore. …'Why, no,' dead-panned Red. 'You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.'"
Read more about this topic: Red Smith (sportswriter)
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