When you're not involved, other people's unhappiness seems to be about the funniest damn thing on earth because you think you can solve it, that you are God, that you are above this, and that their unhappiness is just such useless toil and agony. If it's you, it ceases to be a comedy. Barry Hannah agonyceasecomedy share on social
A writer's job is to destroy and then to build the thing back up again by a chosen means. Barry Hannah backbuildchoose Change image and share on social
Some writers are curiously unmusical. I don't get it. I don't get them. For me, music is essential. I always have music on when I'm doing well. Writing and music are two different mediums, but musical phrases can give you sentences that you didn't think you ever had. Barry Hannah curiouslyessentialgive share on social
Honestly, I envy painters, who can have a masterpiece in one morning. Or musicians, who can write something in 30 minutes and arrange it in an hour, sometimes. 'Cause with this, with writing, you can occasionally feel like a caveman, like you've been working with pitch and tar on this brush. Barry Hannah arrangebrushcaveman share on social
My best stories come out of nowhere, with no concern for form at all. Barry Hannah concernformstory Change image and share on social
I was always kind of florid. And full of rhetoric. That was my flaw. My whole time writing, I've had to work against that because it can be a wrecking posture. Barry Hannah flawfloridfull Change image and share on social
I distrust thought. The interior life is highly overrated. I don't like the wispy and the vague... or inductive logic in any kind of writing. I'm impatient with writers who make too much sense. The better things that I've done have come to me by instinct. Barry Hannah distrusthavehighly share on social
Voice comes to you through a spell, a trance. The best voices are not you... they're a little away from you. Barry Hannah spelltrancevoice Change image and share on social
I found out about reviews early on. They're mostly written by sad men on bad afternoons. That's probably why I'm less angry than some writers, who are so narcissistic they consider every line of every review, even a thoughtful one, as major treason. Barry Hannah afternoonangrybad share on social
Randomness I love. And I still love just a holler right in the middle of an ongoing narrative. Pain or joy, ecstasy. Barry Hannah ecstasyhollerjoy Change image and share on social