“Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all of them flattering. But the true, volatile charisma of New York lies in how balkanised it is.” ThinkingKnowsMayLyingCertainCultureCitiesNew YorkMassCharacteristicsNew York CityTourismPossessingFlatteringCharismaMass Culture Author:Jonathan Dee
“You see that in the news constantly; done both the right way and the wrong way. The most recent example I can think of, obviously, is Lance Armstrong, who got it all wrong. Who wanted to apologize strategically, instead of abjectly. What got me interested was the repetitive nature of it. There's something so ritualized about it. Then the ritual needs to be reenacted very carefully and pretty frequently - Tiger Woods, and now Manti Te'o and Lance Armstrong, and a little earlier Anthony Weiner or Eliot Spitzer.” ThinkingDoneRitualApologizingTigersRepetitiveEliot Author:Jonathan Dee
“The Postman Always Rings Twice that's a book that I think every writer should read - that has to do with technique. But it's also a novel narrated by a guy who has decided by page 11 that he's fallen in love with a woman, and they're going to murder her husband so they can be together. There's nothing remotely likeable about him, but James M. Cain brings you so far into his head that, at a certain point, you have that uncomfortable but also thrilling sensation of seeing things exactly as he sees it.” ThinkingBookTogetherGuyNovelHusbandMurderRingsUncomfortableFallenLikeablePostman Author:Jonathan Dee
“Luckily for you, you can close the book The Postman Always Rings Twice and break out of it, and James M. Cain can't. I can't think of any redeeming feature he has, but he's extremely compelling.” ThinkingBookBreakRingsPostman Author:Jonathan Dee
“That's a long way of saying no, I'm always too bound up in thinking about the characters in whatever I'm working on and trying to make good to dwell on characters from previous books.” ThinkingTryingLongBookCharacter Author:Jonathan Dee
“I worry that's what people are going to think about me if they kind of go backwards. But if that didn't happen to you, I'll feel better.” PeopleThinkingKindWorryFeel BetterBackwards Author:Jonathan Dee
