There's something uniquely exhilarating about puzzling together the truth at the hands of an unreliable narrator. Maria Semple exhilaratehandnarrator Change image and share on social
I think that everyone in Seattle, their daily existence, is enriched by all the charitable giving that is courtesy of Microsoft. Maria Semple charitablecourtesydaily Change image and share on social
I always write authors after I read their books. I've been doing it for years. I write a formal letter and send it to them in care of their agent. My mother always taught us to write thank you notes, and if an author puts themselves out there, they like to hear that their book connected with someone. Maria Semple agentauthorbook share on social
If you're an artist and you're on Twitter, you are doomed to mediocrity. Maria Semple artistdoommediocrity Change image and share on social
I guess that's what art is: Turning something painful into something people can relate to. Maria Semple artguesspainful Change image and share on social
I think a novel has to be about where you are at a given moment in time. I think it really needs to represent some specific pain you're going through. it's not just a story. Maria Semple momentpainrepresent Change image and share on social
Even when I was writing 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette,' I started to appreciate Seattle's many charms. Maria Semple bernadettecharmseattle Change image and share on social
I'm consistently blown away by 'Mad Men.' Having spent so much time in the writers' room, I'm cursed in that anytime I watch something, I'm always calculating what the writers are up to. Maria Semple anytimeblowcalculate Change image and share on social
In a lot of ways, TV writing taught me how to be a good storyteller. I learned about dialogue, scenes, moving the plot forward. Maria Semple dialogueforwardgood Change image and share on social
I drop my kid off at school and then race home, and it's a very limited time. I can only do really serious writing for a couple of hours. And then I always go on a walk, I do a one-to-two-hour walk; I don't go running or hard hiking. Maria Semple coupledrophard share on social