the chaos of what we are

"......what I think you discover when you write stories is in the end you're just there to reflect what truth you can find in this life, not to try to pretend how life should be lived. I don't even know how to live my own life.

"In a novel you're allowed to open yourself to the chaos of what we are. It's hard to admit all the contradictions we're made of. We may believe this thing one moment and abandon it and believe the opposite the next. We can believe one thing, act another way and say a third.

"What you discover as a writer is you're not one person. There's an infinity of people in you, some much more admirable, others much more despicable."

- Richard Flanagan