And dialogue, I'm good at it, and it's because it's the only thing you have to work with in TV writing. Maria Semple More Quotes by Maria Semple More Quotes From Maria Semple When I'm sitting at my computer writing, I really have this fiendish smile on my face. I am not thinking about the past or the future or how it's going to be received. I feel that I'm very lucky that way; I don't carry that particular anxiety around with me. I'm not anxiety-free by any means, but that happens to be one that I've been spared. Maria Semple writing mean past I can't tell you the number of times I've been in the middle of a perfunctory conversation, and someone will say, 'Tell us what you really think.' Or 'Maybe you should switch to decaf. Maria Semple intensity numbers thinking When I'm creatively solving problems, I'm in my sweet spot, and nothing can take me out of that joyful present. Maria Semple joyful problem sweet I think one of the good things about writing novels is that you always start from scratch. Maria Semple scratches writing thinking I love the camaraderie of a writers' room. Maria Semple camaraderie rooms When I'm writing a book, I draw from my immediate experience, and my books are therefore almost a snapshot of where I am at that moment in my life. Maria Semple snapshots writing book I survived many a youth hostel bunk room reading Tolstoy by flashlight. Maria Semple hostel room youth reading There's something uniquely exhilarating about puzzling together the truth at the hands of an unreliable narrator. Maria Semple something truth together hands I never understood the concept of a fluffy summer read. For me, summer reading means beaches, long train rides and layovers in foreign airports. All of which call for escaping into really long books. Maria Semple never me reading long An artist must create. If she doesn't, she will become a menace to society. Maria Semple she will society artist I know what it's like to feel snobby; I know what it's like to feel anxiety; I know what it's like to feel like busted because you're crazy. Maria Semple feel you anxiety crazy I think a novel has to be about where you are at a given moment in time. I think it really needs to represent some specific pain you're going through. it's not just a story. Maria Semple moment you pain time On my walks, that's when the good ideas come. The kind of hard, gritty work is when you're sitting at the computer and it's kind of intense and you're kind of in super control of it - the walks are when you let go. That's when the really big breakthroughs come in, and it's very strange. Maria Semple good you work ideas In a lot of ways, TV writing taught me how to be a good storyteller. I learned about dialogue, scenes, moving the plot forward. Maria Semple good me writing moving My father was a screenwriter, and I kind of grew up in that world. Maria Semple up kind father world There's a happiness that comes from writing that I won't live without. Maria Semple live without writing happiness My first novel didn't sell well. It was really painful and humiliating and shocking to me. Maria Semple well first me painful In TV writing, I felt like Gulliver being tied down by the Lilliputians. There's so much more freedom in fiction writing. Maria Semple down like freedom writing I learned that comedy is born out of strong characters. I won't begin writing a character until I have a clear take on them. Maria Semple born comedy strong character My talent isn't so much in traditional research as in finding really smart people and badgering them with questions. Maria Semple smart talent research people
