Part of the reason I wanted to write a novel was that in fiction I could do something that's difficult to do in real life, which is to dwell on the stark details of the experience without really needing to create that narrative of redemption. Christina Baker Kline More Quotes by Christina Baker Kline More Quotes From Christina Baker Kline Time constricts and flattens, you know. It's not evenly weighted. Certain moments linger in the mind and others disappear. Christina Baker Kline disappear moments mind I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again. Christina Baker Kline change letting-go life So is it just human nature to believe that things happen for a reason - to find some shred of meaning even in the worst experiences? Christina Baker Kline human-nature reason believe One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that you're constantly dredging up some arcane knowledge or long-forgotten experience, rediscovering old passions and interests. Christina Baker Kline passion wonderful long It's human nature to want to think the best of others, but if you listen carefully, people will always tell you who they are. Christina Baker Kline want people thinking I know too much; I've seen people at their worst, at their most desperate and selfish, and this knowledge makes me wary. So I am learning to pretend, to smile, to nod, to display empathy I do not feel. I am learning to pass, to look like everyone else, even though I feel broken inside. Christina Baker Kline broken-inside selfish people You got to learn to take what people are willing to give. Christina Baker Kline willing giving people I never want to feel constrained by writing a novel for a specific audience. Christina Baker Kline audience novel writing When something terrible happens, a lifetime of small events and unremarkable decisions, of unresolved anger, and unexplored fears begins to play itself out in ways you least expect. You've been going along from one day to the next, not realizing that all those disparate words and gestures were adding up to something, a conclusion, you didn't anticipate. And later, when you begin to retrace your steps you see that you will need to reach back further than you could have imagined, beyond words and thoughts and even dreams, perhaps to make sense of what happened. Christina Baker Kline decision dream play And so it is that you learn how to pass, if you're lucky, to look like everyone else, even though you're broken inside. Christina Baker Kline broken-inside lucky looks I like the assumption that everyone is trying his best, and we should all just be kind to each other. Christina Baker Kline be-kind assumption trying I have a lot of empathy for women who fit their writing into the crevices of their too-busy lives, as I once did. Christina Baker Kline empathy busy writing She knows too well what it's like to tamp down your natural inclinations, to force a smile when you feel numb....The expression of emotion does not come naturally, so yo learn to fake it. To pretend. To display an empathy you don't really feel. And so it is that you learn to pass, if you're lucky, to look like everyone else, even though you're broken inside. Christina Baker Kline broken-inside fake expression I've come to think that's what heaven is- a place in the memory of others where our best selves live on. Christina Baker Kline self memories thinking I love you," he writes again and again. "I can't bear to live without you. I'm counting the minutes until I see you." The words he uses are the idioms of popular songs and poems in the newspaper. And mine to him are no less cliched. I puzzle over the onionskin, trying to spill my heart onto the page. But I can only come up with the same words, in the same order, and hope the depth of feeling beneath them gives them weight and substance. I love you. I miss you. Be careful. Be safe. Christina Baker Kline love-you writing song In my teens I fancied myself an artist; I hung out with the eccentric art teacher at my high school, painted still lifes and portraits and landscapes in watercolor and acrylics, took private lessons, won some blue ribbons for my earnest renderings. My lack of talent did little to dampen my enthusiasm. In college I thought I'd continue, but, like Salieri, I quickly realized that while I had the ability to appreciate art, I wasn't actually very good. Christina Baker Kline teacher art school Do you believe in spirits? Or ghosts?...Yes, I do. I believe in ghosts....They're the ones who haunt us. The ones who have left us behind." "Vivian has come back to the idea that the people who matter in our lives stay with us, haunting our ordinary moments. They're with us in the grocery store, as we turn the corner, chat with a friend. They rise up through the pavement; we absorb them through our soles." "The things that matter stay with you, seep into your skin. Christina Baker Kline believe people ideas Most people are remarkably resilient. Even those who have been through war or great loss often find reservoirs of strength. But the legacy of trauma is a heavy burden to bear. Christina Baker Kline great strength war people I often work and write in coffee shops, observing the baristas and eavesdropping on interesting conversations. Christina Baker Kline write coffee work interesting The most surprising thing, honestly, is that so few Americans know about the orphan trains. I was also surprised at the resilience and fortitude of the riders I met, their pragmatism and grace. I don't know whether this is a Midwestern trait or simply a human one. Christina Baker Kline human know resilience grace
