Plays are wonderfully different than short stories, first because it's a story that's on a stage, but there's a different sort of tension that appears on stage - you get to see your characters in a different way - like with lights. Amy Bloom appearcharacterlight share on social
Training to be a therapist teaches you to shut up and listen, and that is certainly useful as a writer. Amy Bloom listenshutteach Change image and share on social
I've had a family my entire adult life; I started raising kids when I was 21. I suspect that being part of a family has probably informed my life as a writer as much as anything else has. Amy Bloom adultentirefamily Change image and share on social
As children, we think our mother has always been a mother, but it is just one of the roles you may have the opportunity to play. They don't define you as a human being. Amy Bloom childdefinehuman Change image and share on social
'Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. It's strictly my perceptions and thoughts about the people that I met and the stories that I heard. It was never meant to be an academic work. Amy Bloom academicautobiographicalclaim share on social
Bad people doing bad things is not interesting. What I find interesting is good people doing bad things. Amy Bloom badfindgood Change image and share on social
I didn't think being a writer was a fancy thing. It was a job like any other job, except apparently you could do it at home. Amy Bloom apparentlyfancyhome Change image and share on social
I think the impulse to get to the heart of the story and to tell it well is in my genes. Amy Bloom geneheartimpulse Change image and share on social
I spent a lot of time listening to people. But it's also true that I liked details and listening to people when I was a bartender and when I was a waitress and probably when I was a babysitter as well. I suspect that's part of what drew me to psychotherapy rather than the other way around. Amy Bloom babysitterbartenderdetail share on social