Ann Patchett, on writing:

It was all in my head and now all I had to do was figure out a way to get it down on paper.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing nonfiction:

When I wrote nonfiction, my best work was the really personal stuff.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on reading:

Reading is a private act, private even from the person who wrote the book.

Once the novel is out there, the author is beside the point.

The reader and the book have their own relationship now,

and should be left alone to work things out for themselves.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

I'm very comfortable writing.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

That's the way I work.

I get it all plotted in my mind, and then I write it down.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on books:

That's important to me, to recommend books.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

I craft everything in the beginning.

I know where the characters are going before I start writing the book.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on reading fiction:

Reading fiction is important.

It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own,

which in turn makes us more empathetic beings.

Following complex story lines stretches our brains beyond the 140 characters of sound-bite thinking,

and staying within the world of a novel gives us the ability to be quiet and alone,

two skills that are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

The idea I pursue is the one that keeps coming back to me.

The characters I think about as I'm falling asleep at night

or when I'm driving to the grocery store

are the ones I wind up writing about.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

I made a startling discovery.

Time spent writing = output of work.

Amazing.

- Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett, on imagination:

Using your imagination is the one time in life you can really go anywhere.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on reading fiction:

Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity,

it gives us the skills to be alone.

It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met,

living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves,

because the book puts us inside the character's skin.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

Writing is a job, a talent, but it's also the place to go in your head.

It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on reading:

It's always better to have too much to read than not enough.

- Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

I think people become consumed with selling a book when they need to be consumed with writing it.

- Ann Patchett.