Books Quote by Debra Dean

“Once I had started, I discovered the secret pleasure of writing a novel. It's such an immersive, deep commitment. With short stories, you're continually having to start again from scratch, but with a novel you only need one good idea every few years.”

Debra Dean

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Books Commitment Good ideas Ideas Needs Novel Pleasure Scratches Secret Short stories Short story Stories Writing Years

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“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”

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“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”

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I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…

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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…

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“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments”

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With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the…

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Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience.

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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,…

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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.

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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…

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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…

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“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is…

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