. . . people use tricks to get you to think the way they do or take away something you have that they want. One way they do that is to interrupt your normal way of thinking and take you by the hand and guide you down the path they want you to take. Father says they make you take a teeny-weeny step in their direction, and then they start to nudge you a little further down the path and before you know it, you're running full speed with them in a direction that you probably wouldn't have gone alone.
Christopher Paul CurtisI often tell young people that as a writer you are very powerful, that you can make absolutely anything happen.
Christopher Paul CurtisBut you just gotta understand that that's the way it is and keep on steppin'.
Christopher Paul CurtisI do think it is important to look at the writing as a job though and to commit to it like you'd have to commit to a regular nine-to-five.
Christopher Paul CurtisThere's one good thing about getting in trouble: It seems like you do it in steps. It seems like you don't just end up in trouble but that you kind of ease yourself into it. It also seems like the worse the trouble is that you get into, the more steps it takes to get there. Sort of like you're getting a bunch of little warnings on the way; sort of like if you really wanted to you could turn around.
Christopher Paul Curtis