Maria Semple quotes

I keep an elaborate calendar for my characters detailing on which dates everything happens. Im constantly revising this as I go along. It gives me the freedom to intricately plot my story, knowing it will at least hold up on a timeline. (Maria Semple)
I'm not too good when exposed to people. View quote
Maria Semple
Ruthless concern with story is what I learned in television. View quote
Maria Semple
I think because I try to keep things as real as I can, or I try to start from a place of reality, I almost don't have the imagination to write a book that's not set where I am. View quote
Maria Semple
My talent isn't so much in traditional research as in finding really smart people and badgering them with questions. View quote
Maria Semple
When you need a good laugh, do you reach for a book? I don't. I expect books to move me deeply and submerge me in another reality. So when a novel makes me roar with laughter, it's always a delightful surprise. View quote
Maria Semple
We need to preserve our neighborhoods, our small business, our local economy. View quote
Maria Semple
'Mad About You' fit my sensibility the most of any show that I worked on, and as a result, it was really fun. It felt like a very natural fit. View quote
Maria Semple
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! View quote
Maria Semple
I think that's the most important job of a novelist - to bring authority to their writing. View quote
Maria Semple
There's a happiness that comes from writing that I won't live without. (Maria Semple)
My strength as a TV writer was my total lack of interest in television. View quote
Maria Semple
I drop my kid off at school and then race home, and its 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 dont go running or hard hiking. View quote
Maria Semple
I'd say I never considered myself a great architect. I'm more of a creative problem solver with good taste and a soft spot for logistical nightmares. View quote
Maria Semple