For most of my life – well, maybe half of my life, but basically until I was in my mid-20s – I wrote stories. From the time I was 5 or 6 until I was 25. And I read a lot of stories during that time. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
For ‘Gender Studies,’ I wrote that story in May and June of 2016. People have said to me, ‘Oh, it’s a political allegory,’ and I think, ‘Sure.’ The political stuff is definitely there. But that’s why I like fiction; there can be lots of different things going on, and it’s all intertwined, and you can’t separate out what’s in what category. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
Of course I know my characters are unlikable sometimes or have prejudices. It’s not as if I’m thinking they’re so endearing all the time. I guess it’s much more interesting to me to write someone who is a combination of good and bad qualities because that’s what people are like in real life. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
Sometimes, there can be a slightly condescending assumption that anything unlikable about a female character is a mistake, as if they’re a contestant in a beauty pageant and have to seem charming and upbeat all the time. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
I always wrote from a very young age, literally from the time I learned how to read and write. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
I don’t think I anticipated supporting myself as a writer… I expected I would have to be a teacher or a journalist, that I wouldn’t just write full time. It’s such a part of my life, and in some ways, it’s a very unromantic part of my life. It’s almost, to me, like breathing. I don’t think about whether I like it or not. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
When I was writing my first two books I was also freelancing and teaching and doing other odd jobs. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
In general, I believe it’s fine to have impassioned conversations about Gwyneth Paltrow, but those of us who do so should admit it’s a recreational activity and not a moral referendum. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
There’s an ongoing ‘water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink’ situation at my house in terms of both pens and paper. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
Everything ‘Atonement’ does, it does incredibly well, including depicting characters of varying ages and temperaments and showing the intensity of early romantic love and connection and the very different intensity of haunting regret. Curtis Sittenfeld Read Quote
