You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human... And although you don't have complete control over the narrative - no author does, I can tell you - you could nevertheless create it.
Toni MorrisonThe presence of evil was something to be first recognized, then dealt with, survived, outwitted, triumphed over.
Toni MorrisonWhen am I happy and when am I sad and what is the difference? What do I need to know to stay alive? What is true in the world?
Toni MorrisonI think being an editor really helped me take other people's notes on my writing. I'd get a note like 'It's too wet' or 'The first couple chapters are good, but then the rest of the pages were so wet that they were completely illegible' or 'Did you dip this in Sprite? This smells like Sprite. Why would you dip your novel in Sprite?' And instead of pushing back, I'd listen. That's an incredibly important skill for a young writer to have.
Toni Morrison