"For other people, love is like some rare orchid that can only grow in one place under a certain set of conditions. For me it's like bindweed. It grows with no encouragement at all, under any conditions, and just strangles everything else."
"Some writers, notably Anton Chekov, argue that all characters must be admirable, because once we've looked at anyone deeply enough and understood their motivation we must identify with them rather than judge them."
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Source: Scarlett Thomas (2012). “Monkeys with Typewriters: How to Write Fiction and Unlock the Secret Power of Stories”, p.36, Canongate Books
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"People make events into stories. Stories give events meaning."
"I always got a bit pissed off with those broadsheet sceptics who make their living being passionately angry about homeopathy, God, synchronicity or whatever, because it's as if they can't get past their emotions, and in their rage they become as faith-driven as the beliefs they criticise. I always said they give scientists a bad name. After all, science has to be about asking unthinkable questions, not closing down debate."
"I'm a great believer in gathering together all your obsessions and seeing if you can make a novel out of them."
"Routine kills creative thought."
"Homeopathy seemed . . . both mathematical and poetic."