Top 112 Quotes & Sayings by Jami Attenberg - Page 2

I'm a really selfish person. But I would do anything for my friends.

You write a book, and after 50 pages you think it's about one thing, and then you write another hundred and you realize it's about something else, and then by the time you're done, you can look back and say, 'Oh, this is what it's about.'

I don't know if I had ever found my place in the world until I fully committed to being a writer.

I think it's nearly impossible to write something fictional without having it be about yourself in some way or another.

I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn't believe in Santa Claus, and I was ruining everyone's Christmas.

It's good to pass on stories.

As creative people, we should be really conscious of being of service in our work, being as generous as we can.

People are branded as either 'fat' or 'skinny' from an early age. You sort of never shake it, even if you end up losing weight.

I'm pretty pro-food.

No matter how many feminist tracts you read, you never forget what boys like.

Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women is pretty great. Which is to say there is a ton of amazing work out there. These women are writing hard. There's much to be said. We're on it, chief.

I didn't go to graduate school, where all the important writers seemed to be getting their start. I didn't pursue getting published in literary magazines. I didn't even send out countless pitch letters and manuscripts to agents.

I did get in a few fights in school. Kids threw around anti-Semitic slurs, not knowing necessarily what they meant. It was probably just something they picked up somewhere, as kids do.

I'm not really interested in writing or reading about people who are nice and easy. I like the problem children.

We've all got flesh. I've just got a little more.

In the past, I was sometimes put in this women's lit category, and I was never really sure that was the appropriate place for me - although I certainly recognize it can be helpful and correct for other people.

There are generations of people who don't know how to eat properly.

The interesting thing about overeating or being obese is there's this physical manifestation of it.

I don't think there's any topic a writer should feel afraid of tackling just because it has already been discussed. If you feel you have a fresh perspective and an understanding of a certain emotional truth, it's always worth writing.

In 1998, I started a blog, something I could control very easily and update at my own whim.

There's something to be said for an author who clearly respects a reader.

My last book was speculative. I just don't quite know what I am doing. But I'll get there. I have a list of things I would love to write.

I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to, even, but it could still feel big.

The very best parts of me go into my writing, it is the best version of myself, and I don't think it's hubristic to believe that that's worth something, worth someone else's time. It's the most I have to offer the world.

I find that short stories are almost like palate cleansers, or brain cleansers.

I smoked for many years like a total idiot.

We are human beings, not ants.

People judge you because of your weight and your food issues. It's very visual.

Sometimes, things are just exercises.

I'd love to be able to write crazy epic plots. I'm working on it.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures--neighborhood bookstores.

I love doing readings. I could really give a crap about reviews. It's kind of about the readers.

It's good to try stuff. I wrote a book that I threw away, and I think I just wrote it so I could try stuff in it and not be scared

Writers have a job to do. Editors do, too. You have to stand ground and cede ground on a case by case basis. When an editor tells me something isn't working and I still believe in it, I tend to think it just isn't working hard enough.

I had always loved life on the road. It was just something that appealed to me very deeply.

Studying writing to me means reading and also rewriting obsessively. That's the best way to learn.

My laptop broke and because of the storm I could not get a new one. And so I've been promoting my book via iPhone.

And we all get mired in the bullshit, the personality quirks, the personality disorders (ours and everyone else's), the jealousy, the disappointment, the blocks, the financial struggle, our egos, I do it too, I do it too, but if you can't remember it is all about the work and nothing else then I can't help you and you can't help yourself and you will lose. I promise you. You will lose.

I'm not that much of a researcher. I'm good at channeling characters, and I'm good at structure.

What's the point of having a book club if you don't get to eat brownies and drink wine?

The fascinating thing about food is that if you have issues with it, you have to face it every single day.

In its current incarnation in my life touring is a lot of airports and hotels and car services and only OK food.

I wish I had the luxury of time to read and write like grad students do. That sounds pretty awesome. When I was writing my first book one of my friends was going to grad school at the same time and I heard a lot of stories about drinking, too. I feel like everyone was having affairs.

I've just always written, and always considered myself a writer. I wrote my first story when I was five. There was nothing else I wanted to do or be.

I love reading books that you can't put down, and they just take you over for a night or a weekend.

I don't pretend for a second that I'm that great of a person on a day-to-day basis. I'm a deeply flawed human.

You can quit smoking, and never have to have a cigarette again to survive. But with food, it is a daily challenge.

Please make me either relatable or terrible.

Wouldn't that be nice if we could all afford to just freely pursue our dreams?

I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core, and then you go back and research it at the end.

I wish I could write while I'm on the road but it never works for me. I need to be sitting still.

Smart, sharp, and hilarious, Slaughterhouse 90210 is the perfect pick-me-up and never-put-me-down book.