Chang-Rae Lee Quotes

Not writing the same kind of book over and over again is to me the real pleasure of what I do.

I wanted each of my books to be very different from the others, each to be special and uncategorizable, and I knew I could only do that a few times before I was in danger of repeating myself.

When I try to write I try to write something different every time. That's the challenge.

My style is kind of eclectic and I don't like to do the same thing over and over again. I like to have fun and explore myself so you won't see the same design.

As a poet or a novelist or a painter, you are pushing yourself all the time, always looking for a new way to approach something, challenging yourself and never, never trying to write the same book twice.

I don't write the same book over and over - I think if I did that, I would stop writing. I couldn't write a series with the same character, and I couldn't write a romance novel over and over again that takes place at a different beach every year. That's not who I am.

I know that the way to be a really successful writer is to write the same kind of book over and over again. Find the kind of thing that people like and just write one of those over and over again. I don't do that. I just keep doing different things.

What's lucky about my career in general is that I stumbled into what every writer most wants. Not repeating myself and doing strange things has become my trademark.

I'm a person who is always trying to write in a different vein.

I never was the battle rapper. That was never my thing. I always felt like it's enough room for everybody to do their thing. I like bringing new energy, re-inventing the wheel, so to speak, every time I come out.

I always wanted to be really experimental.

I just like being versatile, giving new styles and being creative.

When you're building a show from the ground up, there are no answers or wrong move, because there's no bible.

I try to pick the best from what is offered to me, and then with roles, also, I try to add something new. There is a constant conflict to not become repetitive.

I didn't want to write the same book over and over.

You have to support people who want to do weird, different, fun stuff. Otherwise, it'll get very homogenous.

We personally don't try to follow industry trends or themes. We just try and make something that we think would be cool and we want to make.

It is necessary to any originality to have the courage to be an amateur.

I just wanted to make something in the world and worry about the rest of it later and not get too caught up in rules.

Style is to forget all styles.

I imagine that when I am creating a song or a project or an album or putting some clothing together or cooking a meal, whatever it is, I don't really have a recipe. The fun part is to throw that big piece of clay in the middle of the table as hard as I can, and whatever shape it takes, that's what shape it takes, and then I start to carve away.

A creative person has to be alive. He can't borrow from things he's done in the past. He can't let his method choose his subjects or his characters. They can't be warped to fit his style.

Somebody said that writers are like otters... Otters, if they do a trick and you give them a fish, the next time they'll do a better trick or a different trick because they'd already done that one. And writers tend to be otters. Most of us get pretty bored doing the same trick. We've done it, so let's do something different.

It often feels like a tremendous amount of work is required to get an idea moving forward, like pushing a train uphill. But at a certain point, the thing takes on its own momentum, and takes unexpected turns. So it's that feeling of holding on, rather than pushing it, that is the most exciting thing. It's that need to occasionally bounce off the walls, letting anything happen for any reason, and having nothing to guide you that is the joy.

You're encouraged to do the same kind of movies. But I would like to keep doing different things.