“I start writing, pull whatever images happen to occur to me and make up a story, instead of starting with details that are real and I know of and going from there.” KnowsWritingRealStoriesHappensStartingDetails Author:John Darnielle
“The fact that somebody's telling you a story about people who didn't exist doesn't make the experience of the story any less real in your heart and mind.” PeopleMindHeartRealFactsStoriesHeart And Mind Author:John Darnielle
“What's funny is that people think, "Well there has to be something more than wrestling, because wrestling has such an absurd quality to it." But if you tell a love story, people don't ask what else is in there. They say, "Oh, it's just a love story." All stories have many levels, but these ones show their hand and say, "You might want to look a little deeper."” PeopleIfsThinkingWantWellsLooksLittlesStoriesShowsHandsMightAsksLevelsQualityDeeperLove StoryAbsurdWrestlingStory People Author:John Darnielle
“Gender relations are a sad story of men talking trash about women all over the world.” MenWorldStoriesTalkingRelationGenderTrashSad Story Author:John Darnielle
“[Robert] Aikman would write horror stories that weren't gore, they weren't slashers, and they weren't monster stories either. He called them ghost stories. The main thing about them was the vibe. It was really disquieting. He wanted to sketch the scene so that you could see it and know the characters and get a feel for the motion - and then ask yourself why and not get a final answer. Leave something that itches. I loved that!” KnowsFeelsWritingCharacterStoriesWantedAsksAnswersHorrorSceneFinalsMonstersGhostGoreGhost StoriesHorror Stories Author:John Darnielle
“[Dennis] Etchison would write stories that were just punch lines at the end. You wouldn't realize something horrific was happening until the last paragraph.” WritingEndsStoriesLastsRealizingLinesHappeningsParagraphHorrific Author:John Darnielle
“I worked the AV counter at the Roland Heights public library in the '80s. My best story from the library was the time a couple asked for a recommendation, and I recommended Raising Arizona and they absolutely hated it. They came back hungry for blood. I was on my lunch break and my boss came out and said, "Hey kid, you need to come talk to these people. They totally hate Arizona." And he said, "Arizona's a dog; nobody gets that movie."” PeopleNeedsSaidStoriesKidsHateBreakBloodDogCoupleLibraryHungryHeyHatedHeightBossLunch80sArizonaRecommendationsPublic LibraryLunch Break Author:John Darnielle
“I wrote short stories when I was a teenager, but they weren't any good and I kinda knew it.” StoriesTeenagerShort Story Author:John Darnielle
“I did a lot of music criticism. I don't think much of it was any good. I think I wanted to show off a lot when I was younger. Now I just want people to enjoy the story. If it were possible to publish anonymously, that would be awesome.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantStoriesShowsWould BeWantedEnjoyCriticismPublishShowing Off Author:John Darnielle
“There are only two stories: either you go forward or you die.” TwoStoriesDies Book:Wolf in White Van: A Novel Source: Wolf in White Van: A Novel
