Dani Shapiro

Devotion, as it relates to the title of my memoir, means fidelity - as in fidelity to a person or a practice. I think it's certainly possible to feel devotion without having faith, at least in the religious sense of the word. ”

Confidence is highly overrated when it comes to creating literature. A writer who is overly confident will not engage in the struggle to get it exactly right on the page - but rather, will assume that she's getting it right without the struggle. ”

If you are a writer or any kind of artist, if you change something as fundamental as where you live - the way you live - then I think you change the very instrument that is trying to make the art. ”

When we reach reflexively for something to dull an ache inside of us, in that very moment of reaching, we are hiding from our pain. We're storing it away. Tamping it down. ”

With each book you write you have to learn how to write that book - so every time, you have to start all over again. ”

Our minds have a tendency to wander. To duck and feint and keep us at a slight remove from the moment at hand. ”

It's essential to have sacred time for writing. All successful authors have some daily commitment to keep on-track and moving forward. ”

My dad died when I was 23. His death was sudden and shocking - the result of a car crash - and I never got to say goodbye. ”

If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative. ”

There's a danger in romanticizing what it means to be a writer. Because what it really means is hard, hard work. It means tearing your hair out. Feeling like your head is about to explode. ”