Kate Atkinson Quotes

Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson
English Author
Born: Dec 20, 1951
About Book Me Think Writing You
Related authors: A. A. Milne H. G. Wells J. K. Rowling Lewis Carroll Mary Shelley Samuel Johnson Simon Sinek Terry Pratchett
Ethics are not necessarily to do with being law-abiding. I am very interested in the moral path, doing the right thing. Kate Atkinson
Doing The Right Thing Path Ethics Right Thing Moral Law-Abiding Am Doing Very Being The Right Thing Interested Right Thing Necessarily
When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without forgetting words and names. I wish I could wear the same clothes and eat the same food each day. Kate Atkinson
Food Day Conversation Writing Words Wish Clothes Wear Eat Neural Could Names Read Without Blocked Get Same Forgetting Hold Barely Each Each Day
The legacy of the fairy story in my brain is that everything will work out. In fiction it would be very hard for me, as a writer, to give a bad ending to a good character, or give a good ending to a bad character. That's probably not a very postmodern thing to say. Kate Atkinson
Work Good Character Me Ending Will Everything Say Out Bad Would Would-Be Bad Character Postmodern Give Writer Fairy Brain Very Legacy Fiction Story Work Out Hard Good Character Thing
I think about death a lot, I really do, because I can't believe I won't exist. It's the ego isn't it? I feel that I should retreat into a better form of Zen Buddhism than this kind of ego-dominated thing. But I don't know, I mean, I want to come back as a tree but I suspect that it's just not going to happen, is it? Kate Atkinson
Death Ego Better Believe Think Tree Back Kind About Buddhism Feel Come Retreat Know Because Exist Lot Than Suspect Going Just Want Form Happen Mean Really Should Zen Thing
Fairy tales opened up a door into my imagination - they don't conform to the reality that's around you as a child. I started reading when I was three and read everything, but I wanted to be an actress. Kate Atkinson
You Reality Three Reading Imagination Everything Opened Tales Read Fairy Fairy Tales Around Up Child Door Wanted Conform Actress Started Started Reading
Not being published would be great. When I say that to other writers they look at me as if I'm totally insane. Kate Atkinson
Great Me Other Say Insane Would Would-Be Totally Writers Look Being Published
My work is not my life. I started writing quite late, I didn't have that 'writing is everything, my art is all.' You have to be able to recognise the difference between the two. Kate Atkinson
Life Work Art You Writing My Life Late Everything Recognise Able Between Quite Difference Started Two
It's been said that the men in my books have been absent, or weak, or creepy. Kate Atkinson
Men Books Weak Absent Said Been Creepy
The great thing about writing compared to life is getting to tie things up. Kate Atkinson
Life Great Writing About Great Thing Tie Up Getting Compared Thing Things
I spent four years doing a doctorate in postmodern American literature. I can recognize it when I see it. Kate Atkinson
Spent Recognize See Postmodern Doctorate Doing Years American Literature American Literature Four
I don't want to spoil the magic, but it's a very curious thing that honestly baffles me. It's the nearest we'll ever get to playing God, to suddenly produce these fully formed creatures. It is a bit odd. Other aspects you work out more - you rework sentences, you rework imagery. But not characters. Kate Atkinson
Work God Me You Honestly Other Bit Out Characters Magic More Spoil Odd Very Curious Get Want Formed Sentences Work Out Produce Aspects Fully Suddenly Creatures Ever Nearest Thing Imagery Playing
My father was an autodidact. It wasn't a middle-class house. Shopkeepers are aspirant. He paid for me to go to private school. He was denied an education - he had a horrible childhood. He got a place at a grammar school and wasn't allowed to go. Kate Atkinson
Education Me School Father Horrible Had Allowed He House Got Go Private Denied Private School Childhood Grammar Grammar School Place Paid
Everyone said, 'Well, you're very old for a first novel,' and I said, 'How do you write when you haven't lived? How do you write when you have no experience? How do you write straight out of university?' Kate Atkinson
You Experience Old First Everyone Out No Experience Write Well Said How Very Straight Novel Lived University
It was failing part of my Ph.D. that led me into novel-writing. By then I was 29, had remarried and had a second baby. It struck me that I'd lost my path in life and I felt frustrated. That's when I started to write. Kate Atkinson
Life Me Path Lost Baby Struck Write Had Part Failing Felt Led Frustrated Then Second Started
I had a novel in the back of my mind when I won an Ian St James story competition in 1993. At the award ceremony an agent asked me if I was writing a novel. I showed her four or five chapters of what would become 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' and to my surprise she auctioned them off. Kate Atkinson
Me Writing Competition Mind Become Back Chapters Would Scenes Had She Surprise Off Won Five Behind James Story Them Agent Asked Ceremony Novel Award Her Four Museum
Life is a very orderly thing, but in fiction there is a huge liberation and freedom. I can do what I like. There's nothing that says I can't write a page of full stops. There is no 'should' involved, although you wouldn't know that from literary reviews and critics. Kate Atkinson
Life Freedom You Life Is A Nothing Liberation Says Critics Write Like Know Involved Although Reviews Huge Very Stops Fiction Literary Orderly Should Page Full Thing
Alternate history fascinates me, as it fascinates all novelists, because 'What if?' is the big thing. Kate Atkinson
Me History Big Alternate Because What If Big Thing Fascinates Novelists Thing
When I started 'Case Histories,' the characters were all going to Antarctica on a cruise. The first part was called 'Embarkation.' It was supposed to be about everyone preparing to embark on the cruise, but it mushroomed into an entire book. Kate Atkinson
Book First Everyone Embark Characters Entire About Case Part Cruise Supposed Antarctica Were Histories Going Preparing Started
Writing for me is quite a plastic form, a kind of mental sculpture, although that sounds weird. It acquires its character and its depth as it goes along. Kate Atkinson
Character Me Writing Kind Mental Weird Along Although Sounds Goes Quite Form Depth Sculpture Plastic
The cult of the individual is killing us. I think Twitter signals the death of western civilisation, but people have been saying that since Demosthenes. Kate Atkinson
Death Saying People Think Twitter Signals Civilisation Individual Since Cult Been Western Us
My highest point was the first thing I won, a short story competition in a women's magazine in the Eighties. It was the first time I'd had my writing validated, and the first thing I'd ever shown anyone else. Kate Atkinson
Time Women Writing Competition First Else Validated Magazine Point Had Highest First Thing First Time Won Short The First Thing Anyone Anyone Else Eighties Short Story Story Shown Ever Thing
I need to be very isolated to write, and unfortunately isolation is often quite difficult to find. My ideal writing environment would be a country house hotel in the middle of nowhere, with full room service. Kate Atkinson
Service Writing Country Isolation Difficult Would Would-Be Find Write Environment Hotel Ideal House Isolated Very Quite Often Middle Unfortunately Room Room Service Full Nowhere Need
If you don't have a unique voice, then you're not really a writer. Kate Atkinson
You Voice Writer Then Really Unique
I find the past so fascinating. Photographs are strange, almost surreal, almost here yet gone. I slip into thinking what the past must have been like and I enjoy creating that ambience and atmosphere - 1730 to around 1870 is the most interesting period. Kate Atkinson
Strange Past Gone Enjoy Thinking Slip Must Find Photographs Atmosphere Almost Like Most Period Around Been Surreal Ambience Interesting Creating Fascinating Here

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