Jami Attenberg
Jami Attenberg
busy
Do you often find yourself uttering the phrase, 'I feel like I should go?' You do not need to go. You are busy that night. You are busy every night, forever.
afraid certain emotional fresh perspective tackling topic truth understanding worth writer
I don't think there's any topic a writer should feel afraid of tackling just because it has already been discussed. If you feel you have a fresh perspective and an understanding of a certain emotional truth, it's always worth writing.
behind coasts computer opposite people run string
I am not one of those people who string their exes along. Instead, I run and hide: under the covers, behind my computer screen, on opposite coasts of the country.
instant stories
I feel a bigger sense of fulfillment when writing a novel, and short stories are more about instant gratification.
although check floor morning next sleeps wake
I check my phone first thing when I wake up in the morning. I usually take it up with me to bed so it's on the floor next to the bed, although not actually in bed with me, because I really do not want to be the person who sleeps with their phone.
against bear chest death east form grudge hold letter love manners mourn printed
I do not mourn the death of the printed letter in a snobby, East Coast, patrician way - 'Where have our manners gone?' - but because I love objects, I love paper, and I love something that I can hold to my chest for a moment. Still, I bear no grudge against the e-mail form itself.
hundred pages time
You write a book, and after 50 pages you think it's about one thing, and then you write another hundred and you realize it's about something else, and then by the time you're done, you can look back and say, 'Oh, this is what it's about.'
cannot change family response trade
Your family is unavoidable. You cannot escape them or trade them in for another family. You also can't change them... but you can change your response to them.
discussion novels refreshing tale weight
Young adult novels don't shy away from the discussion of weight issues, and 'Blubber,' the tale of an overweight, not-so-sympathetic fifth-grader bullied by her peers, is a refreshing take.