“I wish I knew exactly who I was. I was talking to a friend earlier about the advice people give each other, advice like "just be yourself," and how this is particularly awful because it presumes we know who we are. As if people are static and unchanging.” PeopleIfsKnowsGivingWishTalkingAdviceAwfulBeing YourselfWho We AreStaticJust Be YourselfUnchanging Author:Mary J. Miller
“Good writing, in my opinion, is writing that looks really easy, so easy that a person who has never written more than a grocery list might convince themself that they could also write a book. That being said, it's always a lot of work, as you know. And then there's this: you have no idea how many failed stories and novels I've attempted. I have files full of stories that didn't work for whatever reason.” KnowsWritingLooksPersonsSaidBookIdeasReasonStoriesMightEasyOpinionNovelWrittenListsNo IdeaConvinceNow And ThenFilesGroceriesGood WritingGrocery Lists Author:Mary J. Miller
“I don't revise a lot when writing short stories. As far as the novel, I definitely thought more about plot. Honestly, I'm still pretty confused about what "plot" means. I've been reading some of my Goodreads reviews and one reader noted that the The Last Days of California "reads like a short story stretched to the breaking point, padded and brought into novel range..." I don't know what people want, really.” PeopleKnowsWantWritingMeanStillsStoriesLastsReadingNovelReaderHonestlyRangeCaliforniaConfusedPlotReviewsShort StoryLast DayGoodreadsPoint BreakWriting ShortWriting Short Stories Author:Mary J. Miller
“I don't know what people want, really. Does somebody have to die? What is meant by resolution? These are questions that I don't quite know what to do with. That being said, I did want the characters to be changed by the end of the book. But will what they've gone through alter their lives from this point forward, i.e. will they make different (better) choices? Probably not.” PeopleKnowsWantDoeSaidBookDifferentEndsCharacterDiesChoicesGoneChangedResolution Author:Mary J. Miller
“It's also obsessiveness. I'll spend a lot of time working on a single sentence, debating over a dash or a colon, etc. I want things to be perfect. I know nothing will ever be as perfect as I want it, and this is very sad, but sometimes I can get close.” KnowsWantI CanSometimesPerfectSentencesEtcVery SadSingle Sentence Author:Mary J. Miller
“I haven't taught creative writing all that much (my CW teaching consists of a few summer workshops for elementary school children and an eight-week class for older adults), and I don't really know what my teaching style is yet.” KnowsWritingChildrenSchoolClassCreativeWeekTeachingStyleHavensTaughtSummerAdultsEightCreative WritingWorkshopsElementary SchoolOlder Adults Author:Mary J. Miller