Meghan O'Rourke

'Hamlet' is a play about a man whose grief is deemed unseemly.

Loss doesn't feel redeemable. But for me one consoling aspect is the recognition that, in this at least, none of us is different from anyone else: We all lose loved ones; we all face our own death.

But when my mother died, I found that I did not believe that she was gone.

Most of my work has no conventional narrative, so it's not essential to have a beginning and an end - your attention can flow in and out of the experience rather than having a set entry point.

If you're not having a good time, find something else that gives you some joy in life.

I wrote in the 'War of Art' that I could divide my life neatly into two parts: before turning pro and after. After is better.