9th July 2016 | for Creatives | Jhumpa Lahiri, writing, storytelling, artists must EXPERIENCE, the creative life |
"Stories come out of living, and looking, and reacting, and observing and thinking. I can't explain what the source is. ... That's the experience of being alive and trying to render it coherent somehow."
"I'm a big fan of telling young writers to take all the detours they possibly can, both in life and in writing. Those detours are going to lead you to where you need to be. If someone says, 'How would you like to spend two years working in the Czech Republic for the state department?,' you should do that. You can always get back to your novel. You need to have as many experiences as possible."
"Writing grows out of reading, and has always grown out of reading."
"The joy of writing has propelled me from day to day and year to year."
"Stop mythologizing the life of a writer. Don't wait for the muse to whisper in your ear. Don't cultivate an affected personality. Put your butt in a chair and write. A writer is no different than a plumber, a landscaper or a dental hygienist. We are doing what we are called to do and what we are suited for. You don't need to escape to a cabin and write in a parchment diary with a special pen. Sit at a Starbucks or at home or in the middle of traffic and just write."
"If elements of my own life sift themselves into the plot, it's because they feel organic to the story I am telling—a story that distinctly belongs to the characters and not to me. I try to listen to the demands of the story and stay true to them."
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