Justin Tranter Quotes

I've talked with friends about this: when you write about yourself, that's what people connect to. When you write a sermon or a lesson, that may not reach people. I've learned a lot from people who have been writing about themselves.

I realized that even though I had this urge, this longing, to write about other people, in order for it to be emotionally gripping, I needed to be in there somehow.

'Warm Bodies' ended up becoming one of the most personal relatable things I've written.

To have a songwriter that wrote so specifically what I felt to be true... I've never been much of an actor either. If something is real for me, then I can do it.

I've never been one for keeping a journal, so my songs were my journals. They allowed me to express my feelings and let people know what was going on with me. I knew that somebody would relate.

I'm not afraid to use my personal experiences and put them into a song. I think that's when you get the best stuff anyway, when it's real emotion.

I started writing songs by myself. That always came from whatever I was feeling and being honest about that because I never had any intention of anyone ever hearing them.

The more you're writing absolutely honestly, and absolutely bare of intention - even if it feels absolutely personal and small because it's at your own scale - other people relate to it much more.

If I'm writing strictly for others, how does that show what I'm experiencing or thinking? I just got to a point where I realized I could be as personal as I wanted to be and people could relate to those situations if they so choose.

All my songs come from me because I only seem able to write about myself and my experiences.

The way I write my songs is that I have to believe what I'm writing about, and that's why they always end up being so personal - because the kind of artists I like, they convince me, they totally win me over straight away in that thing. Like, 'Oh my God, this song is totally about me.'

I always like to write where I'm at in real life into whatever I'm working on.

When writing songs, especially if they're kinda semi-true to you, a lot of people hide behind whatever their idea of themselves is in the record, and every now and then, you might make a song that exposes something a little too much about you, and there's a part that doesn't want yourself to be exposed.

I want everyone who's listening to know who I am and not just see me as this singer. I want them to feel connected to my story.

I feel it's much easier to be honest or be myself in songs when I'm playing. That's why I felt, 'You know, I'm going to write the truth.'

Most writers write from their own experiences. That is where the honesty and intensity of emotions come from.

I'm not really interested in myself in my writing. I can't see myself in the songs, even though I know different parts of me are there.

You do your best to tell your own story, in the most specific way, and then you hope that that travels well, when it's done with heart and honesty.

In all my characters, I try to find an iota of myself, and in Castle, I found a lot. He gets away with a lot, so that's fun.

My writing is authentic, and whatever happens in my life is what I write about.

I think I'm attracted to writers who tell us something about ourselves.

People used to say nobody can sing my songs but me - they're too personal.

When I lead essay workshops, I ask students to come up with at least five topics, which they'll narrow down to one. The winning idea should be the story the student is most excited to tell because it honestly reflects his or her best self.

I do not just write, I write what I am. If there is a secret, perhaps that is it.

I'm not saying that I am all of my characters, but for me to bring a character to life, you've got to be able to find your own truth.