Marisha Pessl Quotes

As a writer, I always think about who my prototype actors are, in my brain. It's helpful, as a writer, to think about that.

There are so many characters whizzing around inside my head, it's like Looney Tunes. But as soon as I've finished writing about them, I completely forget who they are.

When I write a book, characters come to life for me somewhere at the back of my head. I strive to make them flesh and blood in an abstract way, in words.

We have a writing process that's very much you try to create the character in a complicated way and then you let the story lead you to discovering who the character is in a natural way.

I don't ever really know where I get my characters from.

The interesting thing about fiction from a writer's standpoint is that the characters come to life within you. And yet who are they and where are they? They seem to have as much or more vitality and complexity as the people around you.

I think almost always that what gets me going with a story is the atmosphere, the visual imagery, and then I people it with characters, not the other way around.

Outside books, we avoid colorful characters.

I am not an analytical writer. Once I flesh out my characters and decide on the elements of my plot, the story unfolds in my head almost as though it was a movie reel.

When you write, you hear the characters speaking to you as you take dictation from what they say. And obviously, they had particular personalities when you hear them.

Whichever character I'm using and wherever I am in my mind dictates what kind of story I'm going to tell.

When I wrote for TV, I was always thinking in terms of character and story. After fifteen years, it became hard-wired in me.

I'll often dream about characters before I start writing their stories.

We start with strong characters and build the movie from there. That not to say we don't struggle with story - that's the most challenging part.

I never have particular actors planned when I'm in the process of writing.

I never write with an actor in mind - never.

I spend a lot of time with my characters.

I put a lot of myself into my characters when I write.

To me, my characters are more real than most people I meet.

As a writer of fiction, I spend my days inventing real lives for make-believe people; what I create can only seem real.

Besides, most of the books I like involve people I could never play in a million years.

No I don't really write thinking about specific actors because it can get in the way a little bit.

I try to talk about things I know about. But my characters are more of a combination of people or how I imagine people would feel.

I like being a storyteller. I'm bored with myself; I like to write about others. I have a lot of names in my songs: Karen, Margaret, Mary Kay. Even if it's about me, I want to put it through someone else. The music is the soundtrack to the story.

Most of the time, when I'm writing, I'm writing for myself. I'm thinking, 'What will my character say at this time? What will come out of her mouth?' I create individuals so real to me, I sometimes start talking to them. Then I let them loose on the page.