Jami Attenberg Writing Quotations

Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women is pretty great. Which is to say there is a ton of amazing work out there. These women are writing hard. There's much to be said. We're on it, chief.

I'd love to be able to write crazy epic plots. I'm working on it.

I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core, and then you go back and research it at the end.

My last book was speculative. I just don't quite know what I am doing. But I'll get there. I have a list of things I would love to write.

I wish I could write while I'm on the road but it never works for me. I need to be sitting still.

The very best parts of me go into my writing, it is the best version of myself, and I don't think it's hubristic to believe that that's worth something, worth someone else's time. It's the most I have to offer the world.

Studying writing to me means reading and also rewriting obsessively. That's the best way to learn.

I wish I had the luxury of time to read and write like grad students do. That sounds pretty awesome. When I was writing my first book one of my friends was going to grad school at the same time and I heard a lot of stories about drinking, too. I feel like everyone was having affairs.