Stephen McCauley Quotes
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I write in public libraries and sometimes coffee shops. I can't write at home and gave up trying long ago. I need activity around me that I'm forced to block out. It helps me focus.
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The only responsible way to write about anything is with honesty.
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I keep trying to write happy endings, but my books always end on more of a bittersweet note of ambiguity.
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I have always had someone in my life that I consider my reading mentor because I come from a family where reading was not emphasized or even approved of.
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When you're sitting in the theater watching your own work be performed, you get to see people's reactions immediately. Unlike with a book, you don't have to wait for responses. That's very satisfying. Unless it's a joke that falls flat.
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I'm not a particularly disciplined person in terms of my work habits.
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One of my pleasures is observing people's behavior and pointing out the inconsistencies that we all sort of have at the center of our lives.
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If you aren't a reader and you have a kid with his face buried in books, it can be a bit threatening. My parents viewed my reading as somewhat effeminate, but also subversive on some level.
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Early on, I got some criticism from other gay writers and queer theorists for being too 'assimilationist,' probably because my characters are outsiders, even in the gay world.
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The experience of writing under a pseudonym was tremendously liberating; I could write what I wanted.