I would try to write my own story about some East Coast suburbanite having an affair or something like that. So I did that for maybe two years or so, and it just wasn’t working for me at all. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
I am very indebted to southern writers and not just Flannery O’Connor. Also Harry Crews, Larry Brown, Tennessee Williams, Barry Hannah and William Gay. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
Don’t get me wrong: I think that everyone should put forth an effort to do better, but let’s face it, some of us are just plain luckier than others. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
I’m not sure about ‘absolute’ happiness, but I am happiest when I go to bed at night knowing that I tried to do my best that day. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
Knockemstiff’ is a collection of short stories set in the holler of the same name in southern Ohio where I grew up. I tried to link the stories together through the place and some recurring characters. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
I listen to a lot of different stuff, from Mozart to Johnny Dowd to Monster Magnet. I don’t listen to music while I’m writing a draft, but I do listen to it when I’m revising. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
When I was growing up, I just wanted to be somewhere else. I didn’t like living in Knockemstiff, and I figured when I got older, I’d move off to some big city. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be somebody else and live somewhere else. I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable around people. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
I was 35 when I started taking classes at Ohio University. After I got my degree, I kept working at the mill. When I was 45, I decided I was going to try to learn how to write short stories. Donald Ray Pollock Read Quote
