I need to stay in the present and use that new-age mantra: 'I'm okay right now.' But I worry about all the things I'm failing at every moment. Jonathan Ames agefailmantra Change image and share on social
Even when I was living below the poverty line as a novelist, I was still living better than 99.5% of the human population of the world. But in my little, soft realm of trying to amuse a few dozen middle-class people with my books and articles, I did struggle to survive in my own way. Jonathan Ames amusearticlebook share on social
When I was in college, I had the good fortune to have Joyce Carol Oates as my writing teacher. She told me that I could take an aspect of myself, and from that one bit of personality, I can create a character. This is what I have done, particularly in my novels. Jonathan Ames aspectbitecarol share on social
I am part of a vast generation of people who perpetually live as if they just graduated from college. Jonathan Ames collegegenerationgraduate Change image and share on social
I didn't play or like a lot of board games as a child. I liked playing with my G.I. Joes and making up adventures for them. Jonathan Ames adventureboardchild Change image and share on social
No, I'm not very productive at all. I'm probably like an animal. I mean, great animals in the ocean feed all the time. I'm someone who procrastinates, worries, for most of a month, and then I'll have a flurry of manic productivity with a sense of great urgency and fear for, like, two days. Jonathan Ames animaldayfear share on social
I might have some sort of personality disorder. I might not have proper filters; it might be some kind of version of Asperger's meets Tourettes meets prose. Jonathan Ames aspergerdisorderfilter Change image and share on social
I wish I was the kind of writer who would go to a war zone and write about something that's meaningful and important to people, but that's not my area of coverage. Jonathan Ames areacoverageimportant Change image and share on social
I'm a somewhat isolated person in my own way, or I move along a little trail, I go this place, I go that place. It's not like I'm varying my exposure. Jonathan Ames exposureisolatemove Change image and share on social
To write about a place, you have to live there. Jonathan Ames liveplacewrite Change image and share on social