-
10
The characters you refer to as predatory and unsavory are useful. They're the ones who make a novel into a thriller. They're active, and most of the common virtues, the signs of a good person, are not.
-
9
Once you have invented a character with three dimensions and a voice, you begin to realize that some of the things you'd like him to do to further your plot are things that such a person wouldn't, or couldn't, do.
-
8
Much of what we do in life has a huge component of luck.
-
7
If I don't have a project going, I sit down and begin to write something - a character sketch, a monologue, a description of some sight, or even just a list of ideas.
-
6
I had been writing fiction since I was in eighth grade, because I loved it.
-
5
I do want to write about Jane Whitefield again, but only when I have a good enough idea - something I've figured out about her that's news and that's worth a reader's time.
-
4
But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his actions that is convincing to him. It's fun to give these people voices.
-
3
I don't have dry seasons, because I don't allow them.
-
2
I do try not to spend much time reading in the suspense genre.
-
1
Reading a novel in which all characters illustrate patience, hard work, chastity, and delayed gratification could be a pretty dull experience.
Last Update: 22 May 2022
View the rest 30 Thomas Perry sayings