How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #4
Dorn: And another thing. Everything you write has to have a clear, concise central idea. You have to be aware of what you're writing, otherwise you'll…you'll lose your way, and your talent will destroy you. (1.170)
The doctor is full of pedantic advice about a career in which he has no experience. But Konstantin's not listening, anyway—he's busy looking for Nina.
Quote #5
Trigorin: All I think about day and night is having to write. I have to write, I have to. I finish one story, and then I have to write another one, and then a third, and after that a fourth. I write without stopping, like an express train; it's the only way I know how. (2.100)
Writing doesn't really satisfy Trigorin; it's his compulsion.
Quote #6
Trigorin: A beginning writer, unless he's lucky, feels completely out of place—awkward, useless, nervous. He's obsessed with successful writers and people in the arts, he hangs around them, but nobody notices him. (2.100)
Trigorin is describing himself, of course, but this is also a great description of Konstantin.