My teaching forces me
My teaching forces me to articulate what I think works in a piece of fiction and how I think it works. All of that gives me energy as a writer. Dana Spiotta
Quotes for All
My teaching forces me to articulate what I think works in a piece of fiction and how I think it works. All of that gives me energy as a writer. Dana Spiotta
The writer has to take risks and go somewhere full of mystery and possibility for the novel to deepen over the years it takes to write it. Dana Spiotta
The writer has to be brave, I think. Dana Spiotta
I want what I write to be deeply engaging and strange and true. Dana Spiotta
When I write characters, I need to hear their voice. As soon as I get them speaking, and I feel how they use language, I understand who they are and what they want. Dana Spiotta
Usually there is a paradox in what a character wants. A conflict is built deeply within them. And then you put them in motion, throw everything at them until they reveal themselves further. Dana Spiotta
You are always working towards the moments in which characters experience reckonings or insight or change. I like to track them past those moments. Dana Spiotta
I like to mix the real and the imaginary. Sometimes it is characters inspired by real people I know or know of. Sometimes it is a named person from the common cultural dreamscape. And it is tricky, because they have a lot of associated ideas that come with them, and a lot of actual facts. … Read more
I always think the novelist should go to the culture’s dark places and poke around. Pose a lot of hard questions. Dana Spiotta
My teaching exists in a different part of my brain. However, I am lucky enough to teach very smart graduate students. Dana Spiotta