My tunnel vision allows me to have a longer work day than most writers. I'm thankful for that. Joshua Mohr More Quotes by Joshua Mohr More Quotes From Joshua Mohr The point of reading is to inhabit a consciousness that doesn't belong to the reader, immersing yourself in a life that's wholly realized. And a huge facet of our psychic and existential make-ups is the things we're not proud of, things we didn't ask to experience, the scenarios we flubbed. Joshua Mohr psychics proud reading If a character is honest with a reader, then (hopefully) that will engage the reader's empathy centers; she'll meet that openness with acceptance, and they'll forge a nourishing and meaningful bond as the book continues. Joshua Mohr meaningful character book My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict. Joshua Mohr novelists cases jobs It's important to write like your readers are brilliant. Joshua Mohr brilliant important writing I used to consider myself to be a cineophile, and then I had a daughter. Ha! Now I barely see any movies. Joshua Mohr daughter used I struggle with staying clean every day, and what really keeps me from doing something stupid is my daughter. Joshua Mohr daughter stupid struggle They say you have to get and stay sober for yourself, and of course I agree with that, but I've really appreciated the added stakes of having someone relying on me for survival. My daughter makes me want to do right. That doesn't mean I won't relapse again. It's happened to me before. But she adds a layer of love in my life that I've never known. Joshua Mohr daughter survival mean We have today and hopefully tomorrow to be the best version of ourselves. Joshua Mohr being-the-best tomorrow today Shamefulness is always a huge part of my characterizations. I like protagonists that reveal, either through "honesty" in their various thought processes or via their actions, perhaps telling us things they're not so keen on disclosing through their interactions with the outside world. Probably both during the duration of a novel. Joshua Mohr duration honesty world Memoir is a unique opportunity to revisit yourself. I don't mean by memory. I mean in the revision process. You don't just write a chapter and that's it. You must constantly return to it. You must dote on it. And even if it's saying something ugly about who you are, you have to find the poetry in it. You have to find the poetry in yourself. Joshua Mohr writing memories mean The more we're doing to ensure we're following our joy and passion, that's when we really start to put the gas in our lives. Joshua Mohr gas passion joy I'm not a gamer. But I am very aware of the escapism of drugs. In my mind those kind of do the same thing. They dull us to the aches and pains of our status quo. Joshua Mohr drug pain mind I want to be the kind of adult that keeps learning. I want to always be open to new experiences. Joshua Mohr new-experiences adults want Today is going to be free of the past. Today, the past can't hurt me. Joshua Mohr hurt today past In my life the right question is simply this: What can I do to be happy today? Joshua Mohr right-questions today Self-respect doesn't come naturally to me. I need to constantly remind myself and do the work to err on the side of self-respect, rather than self-punishment. Joshua Mohr punishment self needs I'm always working on something. Addiction never gets any credit, always talked about as a total liability, and I'll admit that most of its traits aren't positive in our lives. But there's one amazing thing it gave me: a tireless work ethic. Joshua Mohr work-ethic credit addiction It takes a lot of time to be a good junkie or alcoholic - you spend hours getting the necessary supplies, then imbibing, then recovering, rinse and repeat. That's like eighteen hours of a day. And assuming you get out of that lifestyle before it macerates your heart, you have that Junkie Tunnel Vision, except now you get to use it for something positive: you know how to work tirelessly for one thing. Instead of using that tunnel vision to get high, I use it to make art. Joshua Mohr vision tunnels art The question why, at least in my life, often leads to despair. Why did this happen to me? Why didn't someone who claimed to love me treat me with respect, compassion, kindness? Etc. These questions never have answers. They are an ocean, and you'll never swim to the other side. Eventually, you'll tire and die. Joshua Mohr ocean compassion kindness
