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 don't know if it's a failure of imagination on my part, but I'm not going to be writing about Paris in the 1800s. I feel like it would come off as just ludicrously uninformed, even if I did a lot of research. Maria Semple 1800sfailurefeel 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
When I came back from my first TED, very few people knew what it was. But around the time I was sitting down to write 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette,' in 2010, TED was exploding. Maria Semple backbernadetteexplode Change image and 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
After decades spent in rewrite rooms surrounded by other shouting writers, I discovered that I work best alone. I like being in charge of my time, working out the problems according to my own rhythms and being able to nap. That's a big one, the napping on demand! Maria Semple bigchargedecade 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
