We have to give our poor, innocent, and undeserving-of-our-badness characters trouble in order to make them characters in a story.Collection: Character
I think a day in your life on which nothing bad happens may be a wonderful day, but it probably isn't going to be the basis of a story.Collection: Thinking
Sometimes I write well when I'm very upset.Collection: Writing
Telling someone to be confident in the abstract is not going to make it easier for the unconfident writer to actually get herself or himself to the point of being able to put in the upsetting stuff.Collection: Upset
You can't tell a writer they should just be more confident.Collection: Should
I think the difference between writing as someone and writing for them is that when you write for someone, you take on a kind of political burden or message, which I don't think we have the right to do.Collection: Writing
I don't think a white person can write accurately and convincingly about what black people experience of oppression.Collection: Writing
Anyone with an imagination can write about the day-to-day experiences of someone he or she is not.Collection: Writing
When I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then, and when they get to be young teenagers they're not anymore. You might go and talk to them about writing, and they'll be very self-conscious or will have detached themselves from the group.Collection: Teenager
I love it when people can help me with my work, so I do show it.Collection: People