For me as a person, friendships are incredibly important to me, but in writing, they can distract me. Aimee Bender distractfriendshipimportant Change image and share on social
I really like feeling connected to people and feeling like I have a good, solid sense of empathy. Aimee Bender connectempathyfelt Change image and share on social
There's a spectrum of those moments of connection and the moments we fail to connect, going from super-large successes to failures. Success would be love, I guess, and failure could still be love, but the bad side; and loss. Aimee Bender badconnectconnection share on social
At readings, audience members sometimes ask if I keep writing past the two hours if I'm on a roll, but I don't. I figure that if I'm on a roll, it's partially because I know I'm about to stop. Aimee Bender audiencefigurehour Change image and share on social
I developed a prejudice in high school that it was all going to be boring. That kind of teenage, why-do-I-have-to-read-these-goddamn-classics feeling. And then you discover that the classics are classics because they're lively. They don't stick around because they're boring. If they're boring, they go away. Aimee Bender boreclassicdevelop share on social
I write on a very strict 2-hour-a-day schedule, and I really respond to structure and invented rules. So even if I'm finding out good information on a character, I will stop when I'm set to stop. Aimee Bender characterdayfind Change image and share on social
Novels are so much unrulier and more stressful to write. A short story can last two pages and then it's over, and that's kind of a relief. I really like balancing the two. Aimee Bender balancekindnovel Change image and share on social
Language is the ticket to plot and character, after all, because both are built out of language. Aimee Bender buildcharacterlanguage Change image and share on social
For me, even in my first book, the pleasures of writing anything magical is that it has to be physical. It has to be grounded and very much in this world. Then, I get to play with all the consequences of this new thing. Aimee Bender bookconsequenceground share on social
I love all the arts - so museums, theatre, music, walks near trees or by the ocean, time with people, psychological readings. Aimee Bender artlovemuseum Change image and share on social