Jami Attenberg
Jami Attenberg
detail eats eye favorite food
What a character eats is a detail - like eye color or a favorite song. But food is also our lifeblood.
smoking challenges quitting
You can quit smoking, and never have to have a cigarette again to survive. But with food, it is a daily challenge.
reading giving kind
I love doing readings. I could really give a crap about reviews. It's kind of about the readers.
writing sitting-still wish
I wish I could write while I'm on the road but it never works for me. I need to be sitting still.
book wine clubs
What's the point of having a book club if you don't get to eat brownies and drink wine?
america bookstores treasure
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures--neighborhood bookstores.
ocean giants possibility
An ellipsis is a giant ocean of possibilities.
notebook morning thinking
What I try very hard to do is have an hour or so in the morning when I leave the house and don't have my phone with me. I'll go sit in a cafe and read and handwrite in my notebook and not be facing a screen. My head will be clear. I will be able to hear myself think. Because honestly for the rest of the day it's just screens, screens, screens.
writing emotional historical-novels
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.
crazy writing epic
I'd love to be able to write crazy epic plots. I'm working on it.
book criticism female
Maybe just as many women writers as male writers could be billed as the next great American writer by their publisher. Maybe book criticism sections could review an equal amount of female and male writers. Maybe Oprah could start putting some books by women authors in her book club, since most of her audience is women.
countless graduate literary pitch published pursue seemed send writers
I didn't go to graduate school, where all the important writers seemed to be getting their start. I didn't pursue getting published in literary magazines. I didn't even send out countless pitch letters and manuscripts to agents.
either incredibly journal writers
Some journal writers choose to password-protect their site, which is either an incredibly responsible act or a paranoid one.
afraid certain emotional fresh perspective tackling topic truth understanding worth writer
I don't think there's any topic a writer should feel afraid of tackling just because it has already been discussed. If you feel you have a fresh perspective and an understanding of a certain emotional truth, it's always worth writing.