When a writer develops a story, he is confronted with a poison that is inside him. If you don't have that poison, your story will be boring and uninspired. It's like fugu: The flesh of the pufferfish is extremely tasty, but the roe, the liver, the heart can be lethally toxic.
Haruki MurakamiThat's evolution. Evolution's always hard. Hard and bleak. No such thing as happy evolution
Haruki MurakamiThen when dusk began to settle he would retrace his steps, back to his own world. And on the way home, a loneliness would always claim his heart. He could never quite get a grip on what it was. It just seemed that whatever lay waiting "out there" was all too vast, too overwhelming for him to possibly ever make a dent in.
Haruki MurakamiYou couldnโt begin to imagine who I am, where Iโm going, or what Iโm about to do, All of you are trapped here. You canโt go anywhere, forward or back. But Iโm not like you. I have work to do. I have a mission to accomplish. And so, with your permission, I shall move ahead.
Haruki MurakamiHas the dark shadow really disappeared? Or is it inside me, concealed, waiting for its chance to reappear? Like a clever thief hidden inside a house, breathing quietly, waiting until everyoneโs asleep. I have looked deep inside myself, trying to detect something that might be there. But just as our consciousness is a maze, so too is our body. Everywhere you turn thereโs darkness, and a blind spot. Everywhere you find silent hints, everywhere a surprise is waiting for you.
Haruki Murakami