Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience. — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I figured that to be a writer I would need to have been born in the nineteenth century, be British, or have… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Before I got my present job, I spent many years teaching writing part-time, so-called, at community colleges and universities. It's academia's version… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
When I left the theatre and turned to writing, one of the big pulls was that, unlike the theatre, I didn't have… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
As a writer, the ideal job is the one that allows you time and mental space away from it. Teaching seemed to… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Once I had started, I discovered the secret pleasure of writing a novel. It's such an immersive, deep commitment. With short stories,… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a novel set in Russia, much less two, I simply… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
The trajectory of my writing has moved further and further away from autobiography. My first stories in Confessions of a Falling Woman… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I loved short stories, and they were all I wanted to write. I love the compression of them and the exactitude needed… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I always think, OK, this is good, but I'll do it better next time. "And so we beat on, boats against the… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
If you have some other profession that allows you your evenings or weekends, terrific, stick with that. Having a profession other than… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
One of the nice things about moving from acting to writing is that your work can be in the public eye without… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I just can't fathom tweeting, and I'd rather spend my time writing a book than a blog, but I rather grudgingly agreed… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I think I was also afraid of the novel. I write line by line, proceeding at snail's pace, rewriting as I go… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.” — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments” — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience. — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Peculiar as I was, and remain, I was trained to be practical. I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself. — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you a longer… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is… — Debra Dean Copy Share Image
