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Quote by Donald E. Westlake

“Writing is flat, so if you only have part of one eye working, you still can do the job. It's just that you sit there and you're angry, which doesn't help.”

Author

Donald E. Westlake

Donald E. Westlake was an American author born on July 12, 1933, and passed away on December 31, 2008. Known for his crime and detective novels, his works have been widely appreciated by readers. more

“I can't trace thematic similarities between Then We Came To The End and The Unnamed to a life event; I think it's more just a natural progression as a writer. Everything changes in the second book - tonally, character-wise, situationally - and on top of that, I think I wanted a challenge. I wanted to see if I could do it.”

Thinking Book Natural Challenges Things Change Progression Similarity

Author:Joshua Ferris

“I'm not sure that all books aren't that way. I think that might apply to any book I was writing. The book was kind of the product of this enormous infatuation I had, not only with the office and office politics, but with perspective, and trying to tell a story from as wide a range of perspectives as you possibly can. I tried to capture it all with the first-person plural, but once I settled on that, I used it to tell the story from as many angles as I could. I guess, to put it romantically, it was about a love affair with the craft of perspective.”

Thinking Writing Trying Kind Book Perspective Office Affair Not Sure Infatuation Love Affair

Author:Joshua Ferris

“Once I had the voice, I knew I wasn't going to fall off the bicycle. I tap right back into it. It really was like learning how to ride a bike - you never forget, and I was able to carry it along with some ease. I never encountered any stumping problems that left me not knowing what to do, so I was mostly able to hold my ground. Of course, I should mention that it took me a long time to actually acquire the voice; there were a lot of frustrated attempts along the way, revisions to long sections and versions of the book that I abandoned.”

Long Book Problem Fall Forget Never Forget Abandoned Frustrated Bicycle

Author:Joshua Ferris

“I always knew from the beginning that this was the only way to write Then We Came To The End - that it had to be in first - person plural if it was going to illustrate how the individual becomes part of the collective. I had no interest in writing the book in a more conventional voice. It goes back to that fascination I had with telling a story in multiple ways. It was the only choice I gave myself, really - I said "This is it, pal. If you can't tell a story this way, you're going to have to abandon the book. Write it this way or give up."”

Giving Writing Book Choices Individual Interest Giving Up Abandon Multiple

Author:Joshua Ferris