“My tunnel vision allows me to have a longer work day than most writers. I'm thankful for that.” Quote by Joshua Mohr
“Memoir is a unique opportunity to revisit yourself. I don't mean by memory. I mean in the revision process. You don't just write a chapter and that's it. You must constantly return to it. You must dote on it. And even if it's saying something ugly about who you are, you have to find the poetry in it. You have to find the poetry in yourself.” IfsWritingMeanOpportunityProcessMemoriesReturnUniqueWho You AreUglyMemoirChaptersRevisionUnique Opportunities Author:Joshua Mohr
“Shamefulness is always a huge part of my characterizations. I like protagonists that reveal, either through "honesty" in their various thought processes or via their actions, perhaps telling us things they're not so keen on disclosing through their interactions with the outside world. Probably both during the duration of a novel.” WorldActionProcessNovelHonestyHugeVariousInteractionOutside WorldDurationProtagonistsThought ProcessCharacterization Author:Joshua Mohr
“I always feel that as the author, once I know what a character is ashamed of, then I can go about making her truthful on the page.” KnowsFeelsI CanCharacterPagesAshamedTruthful Author:Joshua Mohr
“The point of reading is to inhabit a consciousness that doesn't belong to the reader, immersing yourself in a life that's wholly realized. And a huge facet of our psychic and existential make-ups is the things we're not proud of, things we didn't ask to experience, the scenarios we flubbed.” ReadingAsksConsciousnessHugeReaderProudExistentialPsychicsScenariosFacetsImmersing Yourself Author:Joshua Mohr
“If a character is honest with a reader, then (hopefully) that will engage the reader's empathy centers; she'll meet that openness with acceptance, and they'll forge a nourishing and meaningful bond as the book continues.” IfsBookCharacterHonestAcceptanceReaderEmpathyMeaningfulHopefullyOpenness Author:Joshua Mohr
“My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict.” WholeJobsCasesReaderNovelistsVerdict Author:Joshua Mohr
“It's important to write like your readers are brilliant.” WritingImportantLike YouReaderBrilliant Author:Joshua Mohr
“I used to consider myself to be a cineophile, and then I had a daughter. Ha! Now I barely see any movies.” UsedDaughter Author:Joshua Mohr
“I struggle with staying clean every day, and what really keeps me from doing something stupid is my daughter.” StruggleStupidDaughterCleanStayingMy Daughter Author:Joshua Mohr
“They say you have to get and stay sober for yourself, and of course I agree with that, but I've really appreciated the added stakes of having someone relying on me for survival. My daughter makes me want to do right. That doesn't mean I won't relapse again. It's happened to me before. But she adds a layer of love in my life that I've never known.” WantMeanCoursesKnownHappenedSurvivalDaughterAgreeAddMy DaughterStakesLayersSoberAppreciatedRelapse Author:Joshua Mohr