I think that distance is good for some people for certain projects. I mean this is sort of a dynamic question. Some projects require more distance than others, some don't require it at all. Sometimes you need it and sometimes you don't. Junot Diaz More Quotes by Junot Diaz More Quotes From Junot Diaz It wasn't that I couldn't write. I wrote every day. I actually worked really hard at writing. At my desk by 7 A.M., would work a full eight and more. Scribbled at the dinner table, in bed, on the toilet, on the No. 6 train, at Shea Stadium. I did everything I could. But none of it worked. Junot Diaz eight bed writing John Carter was also one of our first recognizable superhumans and there is little doubt that his extraordinary physical feats inspired Superman's creators. Remember: before Superman could fly or turn back time, he was nothing less than an earthbound crime-fighting John Carter in tights. Junot Diaz tights fighting doubt We get so many people saying short fiction is not economical, that it doesn't sell; but there are so many of us enjoying writing it and reading it. So it's wonderful to be around people who love short fiction too - it's like hanging around with my tribe. Junot Diaz short-love reading writing Travel light. She extended her arms to embrace her house, maybe the whole world. Junot Diaz light house world Shot at twenty-seven times - what a Dominican number. Junot Diaz seven twenties numbers Nothing more exhilarating ... than saving yourself by the simple act of waking. Junot Diaz waking saving simple The only way out is in. Junot Diaz awakening life way When I write, what I long for is not more realism or fiction but more courage. That's what I always find myself short on and what I have to struggle to achieve in order that the work might live. Junot Diaz struggle writing order When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do another collected stories. I wanted to do another book like 'Drown' that focused specifically on infidelity. Junot Diaz infidelity book ideas Success, after all, loves a witness, but failure can't exist without one. Junot Diaz witness failure success I write for the people I grew up with. I took extreme pains for my book to not be a native informant. Not: 'This is Dominican food. This is a Spanish word.' I trust my readers, even non-Spanish ones. Junot Diaz pain writing book Well, when you look at a lot of science fiction novels they're asking questions about power. There are questions about what it means to have power and what are the long-term consequences of power. Junot Diaz fiction-novels asking-questions mean I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in writing women, no matter how hard I try and how talented I am. Junot Diaz writing long hands We have a whole bunch of young people and a whole bunch of families. Are we going to disrupt these families and tear them apart? Or are we going think, like, listen - these people are here. We’ve got to deal with this reality. We’ve got to extend the franchise. Junot Diaz reality people thinking To an outsider, I just seem like a list of accomplishments. To me, all there is is how often I fail. Junot Diaz outsiders lists accomplishment I guess I'm just hopelessly fascinated by the realities that you can assemble out of connected fragments. Junot Diaz fragments connected reality You really want to know what being an X-Man feels like? Just be a smart bookish boy of color in a contemporary U.S. ghetto. Mamma mia! Like having bat wings or a pair of tentacles growing out of your chest. Junot Diaz ghetto smart boys Privilege does not operate without silence. Junot Diaz privilege silence doe The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection. Junot Diaz imperfection tolerance differences As artists we are here to make you uncomfortable with the complexity of your reality. Junot Diaz uncomfortable artist reality