I started writing by doing small related things but not the thing itself, circling it and getting closer. I had no idea how to write fiction. So I did journalism because there were rules I could learn. You can teach someone to write a news story. They might not write a great one, but you can teach that pretty easily.
Amy HempelAnd I see that not touching for so long was a drive to the beach with the windows rolled up so the waves feel that much colder.
Amy HempelI could claim any number of high-flown reasons for writing, just as you can explain certain dogs behavior... But maybe, itโs that theyโre dog, and thatโs what dogs do.
Amy HempelI have written letters that are failures, but I have written few, I think, that are lies. Trying to reach a person means asking the same question over and over again: Is this the truth, or not? I begin this letter to you, then, in the western tradition. If I understand it, the western tradition is: Put your cards on the table.
Amy Hempel