I begin by assembling notes on characters. Large swaths of the plot become clear to me as I do this. James Ellroy More Quotes by James Ellroy More Quotes From James Ellroy Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose. James Ellroy crimescrewsknows Tell me anything. Tell me everything. Revoke our time apart. Love me fierce in danger. James Ellroy time-apartfiercedanger L.A.: Come on vacation, go home on probation. James Ellroy vacationlos-angeleshome I love thinking about American history, thinking about LA history. I love brooding on crime. James Ellroy american-historycrimethinking Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't envy the blood on your conscience. James Ellroy envymenblood Cats gotta scratch. Dogs gotta bite. I gotta write. James Ellroy catdogwriting The wildest ride in modern crime novel exoticum. A novel so steeped in milieu that it feels as if you've blasted to mars in the grip of a demon who won't let you go. Read this book, savor the language-it's the last-and the most compelling word in thrillers. James Ellroy marscrime-novelsbook I am a writer. I could not afford to take 15 months off from my writing career to play detective. James Ellroy careersplaywriting Our shared world is humanly unquantifiable and ideologically confused. Which one of them is capable of implementing the most recognizable harm or good? James Ellroy confusedharmworld To me, there's nothing on earth other than women. It's why I get out of bed every morning. James Ellroy bedearthmorning Where’s your sketch pad?” I asked. … “I gave that up,” Kay said. “I wasn’t very good, so I changed my major.” “To what?” “To pre-med, then psychology, then English lit, then history.” “I like a woman who knows what she wants.” Kay smiled. “So do I, but I don’t know any. James Ellroy padspsychologywant I learn things late-and only the hard way. James Ellroy hard-waylateway I don't know anybody in the underworld. I make this stuff up. I don't know any criminals. James Ellroy underworldcriminalsstuff L.A. ispolluted. It's overpopulated. But it is very much home. It was inevitable for me, the moving back. I was living in San Francisco, and Joan broke it off with me, and I needed a place to live. I'd been divorced. And I needed to write movies and TV shows to earn a living. Alimony. All that. So I figured what the hell, I'll go back to L.A. James Ellroy homewritingmoving I always cringe when a male friend of mine, who's very fixated on women, puts "compatibility" at the top of his list of attributes that he would be looking for in a woman. I would replace compatibility with dialectic. James Ellroy maleslistswould-be I cleaned up. I quit drinking, I quit doing drugs, I quit stealing, I quit breaking into houses, I tried to quit being a bad human being. I developed a conscience later in life than many. I call it the lost-time-regained dynamic. James Ellroy later-in-lifedrinkinghouse I drank, I used drugs, I broke into houses, sniffed women's undergarments. I ate Benzedrex inhalers, jacked off for 18 hours at a pop, lived with my dad in a shitpad. James Ellroy daddrughouse Closure is a preposterous concept worthy of the worst aspects of American daytime TV. James Ellroy closureaspecttvs The 1950s to me is darkness, hidden history, perversion behind most doors waiting to creep out. The 1950s to most people is kitsch and Mickey Mouse watches and all this intolerable stuff. James Ellroy waitingdoorspeople I don't want to recover from writing this book [The Onion]. I feel very poised. I feel like I'm with my mother for the first time ever. I feel like I've confronted her, and the confrontation goes on. James Ellroy motherwritingbook
