Reading fiction is important. It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own, which in turn makes us more empathetic beings. Following complex story lines stretches our brains beyond the 140 characters of sound-bite thinking, and staying within the world of a novel gives us the ability to be quiet and alone, two skills that are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps.
Ann PatchettWhy is it that we understand playing the cello will require work, but we attribute writing to the magic of inspiration?
Ann PatchettI craft everything in the beginning. I know where the characters are going before I start writing the book.
Ann PatchettWhen well told, a story captured the subtle movement of change. If a novel was a map of a country, a story was the bright silver pin that marked the crossroads.
Ann PatchettI know where I'm going. And if I don't know where I'm going, I don't tend to get anywhere.
Ann PatchettThere was such an incredible logic to kissing, such a metal-to-magnet pull between two people that it was a wonder that they found the strength to prevent themselves from succumbing every second. Rightfully, the world should be a whirlpool of kissing into which we sank and never found the strength to rise up again.
Ann Patchett