Garth Stein
"Writers and readers have a trust. You give me your time, and I'm going to give you a really good story that's provocative and it's going to make you think and it's going to make you close the book and have that feeling of catharsis: I wish I could spend more time with these characters. And if you're not there yet, don't put your book out there; it's a betrayal of the trust."
— Garth Stein
for Creatives | reading, novel writing, writing, writer-reader relationship, Garth Stein
"Whether it's the meaning of life or why the guy killed the old pawnbroker, we're always looking for answers." (artist)
— Garth Stein (art by Graham Franciose)
for Creatives | creative process, art, artists, Garth Stein, the creative life, Graham Franciose
"I write stories. I want to know what motivates people, so I create stories to venture answers. My sister is a sculptor; she uses a different medium, but she's still looking for something."
— Garth Stein
for Creatives | characters, art, writing, storytelling, Garth Stein, sculpture
"We want the art, that's what we're aiming for. We're aiming to suppress our cautious editor who always tells what to do. I think one of the big writers said, 'Write drunk, edit sober.' I say: Write fat, edit lean. In that first draft, put all the extra stuff in, anything that comes into your head. What happens is we self-edit as we're writing—Oh, that's not going to make it in the final. Don't worry about that. Put it in. It's going to add flavor, and it's going to inform the text. Once you're done with that, then go through and put it on a diet. You know, we want a fat baby. They've got the chubby cheeks, the chubby arms, the chubby fingers—we love that! That's good. When the baby grows up, then we want the lean muscle."
— Garth Stein
for Creatives | writing, creating in the moment, editing, rewriting, Garth Stein
"If something happens in those spontaneous moments of writing that's different than my outline, I go with the spontaneity, and change the outline to suit it. Because the spontaneity, that's the art. My intentions are the craft, right? That's what I'm trying to do. But what is being done is where the magic is."
— Garth Stein
for Creatives | structured writing & plotting/outlining, intuitive writing & pantsing, magic/mystery of creating/art, art, writing, Garth Stein
"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."
— Garth Stein
for Creatives | novel writing, writing, Garth Stein, artists must EXPERIENCE, the creative life