There is a physics to the world, which non-fiction has a contract to stand in awe of, otherwise it becomes completely self-centered and ego-driven, which is the death of a memoir.
Nick FlynnCertain stories we carry with us, events in our life, they define who we are. It's not a matter of getting over anything; we have to make the best of it.
Nick FlynnBy the time I make my way to the border of Mauritania, to the edge of the Sahara, I see no end to being lost. You can spend your entire life simply falling in that direction. It isn't a station you reach but just the general state of going down. Once you make it back, if you make it back, you will stand before your long-lost friends but in some essential way they will no longer know you.
Nick FlynnIn life you get one take, and it's perfect. It's strange, afterwards you might think I shouldn't have reacted that way, but that's the way you reacted. That's your take; that's all you get.
Nick FlynnRead as much as you can. Write only when you feel the inner need to do so. And donโt ever rush into print.
Nick FlynnMemoir is actually the most egoless genre, even though it might seem ostensibly so much ego-driven. In order for it to succeed, you have to dissolve the self into these larger universal truths, and explore these deeper mysteries. If itโs purely autobiographical and ego-driven, itโs going to fail.
Nick Flynn