“I would never want to write a character who was not thoroughly herself or himself. She's a very specific creature in my mind, and she has her thoughts, which range from skin to American history, philosophy, and the arts.” WantWritingMindArtPhilosophyCharacterCreaturesSkinsRangeAmerican History Author:Lynne Tillman
“I don't think anybody says to Coetzee or Dostoyevsky or Kafka, "Your characters aren't likeable." It's not about your character winning a popularity contest. That's not the writer's job.” ThinkingCharacterJobsWinningPopularityContestsLikeableDostoyevskyPopularity ContestCoetzee Author:Lynne Tillman
“There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.” MeanCharacterLiteratureFascinating Author:Lynne Tillman
“I learned to write from reading. I had no writing classes. It's part of my thinking as the writer-author, reading, but then I also want to bring this into my characters, who also read and think. There's that great quote from Virginia Woolf - it's very simple: "...books continue each other." I think when you're a writer, you're also, hopefully, a reader, and you're bringing those earlier works into your work.” ThinkingWritingBookCharacterReadingSimpleHopefully Author:Lynne Tillman
“I think about material that could work in the novel or story as I'm writing. I see if I can get there through what's happening with the character. But it's by inclination. It's not "At this moment this will happen." Usually with my characters you can't tell what has induced them to do anything. That's because, from my understanding of reality - which is always subjective - everything is overdetermined.” ThinkingWritingMomentsCharacterRealityUnderstandingNovel Author:Lynne Tillman
