Ottessa Moshfegh

"In order to write well, I need to have the ability to be honest with myself without it causing pain. When I’m really sad, honesty hurts, and I find myself not going to interesting places in my work. I…"

"One challenge for me is in remembering what the process of writing the novel was like. For me, it’s a bit like childbirth in that one forgets the pain as soon as it’s over…"

"Thinking abstractly about depression is so easy, but the experience of it is more like being in touch with something very, very deep that is a necessary part of the human experience. It keeps us groun…"

"What in effect looks like clear and directed writing took much chaos and anxiety. I felt like I was losing my mind toward the end."