Monkeys with Typewriters Quotes

“Some writers, notably Anton Chekov, argue that all characters must be admirable, because once we've looked at anyone deeply enough and understood their motivation we must identify with them rather than judge them.”
― Scarlett Thomas, Monkeys with Typewriters: How to Write Fiction and Unlock the Secret Power of Stories

“I have sometimes told people, probably wrongly, that there’s no point in writing at all if you don’t feel that there’s something you absolutely have to explore. The idea that someone may want ‘to be a writer’ but have no idea of what to write is quite paradoxical, in one way. After all, why write things down if you don’t have a burning desire to communicate something? But actually, most people who want to write do have things to communicate, they just don’t necessarily know what they are yet. I have themes and ideas in my mind constantly, as do many other people. I care about things in the world and I want to express this somehow. Part of becoming a writer is working out which of all the strange thoughts you have in a given day are worth exploring further.”
― Scarlett Thomas, Monkeys with Typewriters: How to Write Fiction and Unlock the Secret Power of Stories