Every time I think I know what's right and wrong, I end up being wrong. All I want to do is explore. I want to see what people would do. I say, 'What would this person do in this situation?' and I write it down. I'm not writing manifestos of my political views.
From Carolyn Chute
Whenever I write, I write what I find to be the way people are. I never use any symbolism at all, but if you write as true to life as you possibly can, people will see symbolism. They'll all see different symbolism, but they're apt to because you can see it in life.
We need to stay together, to spread the truth like religion. It's a lonely, scary road, and we've got to walk it together.
Sometimes a manuscript is like bread dough. You have to abuse it.
When I write, I just let my characters go, the way I let life go.
I love people, but I don't do so well in a system. We're poor, and we lead a very different kind of life. We depend on other people so much.
That's the way we see life: your community is your survival. And if you live in a small community like this, even the people you hate you have as friends.
When I'm not writing, I do a lot of research reading on the shape of civilization. Fiction can be a lot of different things... but I feel like it's my job to write about the way things are.
I like starting projects in January. That's the best time to start something. It's so inward.
There's no writer's block; there's only distraction.
2 perspectives
1 perspectives