Life is hard, you're tired, and there's disease. The strategy that works for children is to be delighted by the things that delight you.
John DarnielleAdulthood is interesting to adults. But I would never want to write about stuff I dont feel everybody can connect to.
John DarnielleFrom a very young age, I was the kind of kid you can just put anywhere and I'd still find stuff to be stoked about.
John DarnielleIf you're standing in the middle of a ring and you're playing the villain, and everyone is booing and throwing things at you, that's real.
John Darnielle[Robert] Aikman would write horror stories that weren't gore, they weren't slashers, and they weren't monster stories either. He called them ghost stories. The main thing about them was the vibe. It was really disquieting. He wanted to sketch the scene so that you could see it and know the characters and get a feel for the motion - and then ask yourself why and not get a final answer. Leave something that itches. I loved that!
John Darnielle