I have pretty thick skin, and I think if you're going to be in this business, if you're going to be an actor or a writer, you better have a thick skin. John Irving
Tag Archives: John Irving
I suppose I'm proudest of my novels for what's…
I suppose I'm proudest of my novels for what's imagined in them. I think the world of my imagination is a richer and more interesting place than my personal biography. John Irving
I grew up in a family where, through my teenage…
I grew up in a family where, through my teenage years, I was expected to go to church on Sunday. It wasn't terribly painful. I thought some of the stories were neat; I liked some of the liturgy and some of the songs. John Irving
I had a particular affinity for wrestling, and it…
I had a particular affinity for wrestling, and it did have a lot to do with being small and being combative – and being angry. And when you're small and you don't back down, you get in a lot of fights. John Irving
Anybody can do research. The plotting of the…
Anybody can do research. The plotting of the novel, writing the ending before you write anything else, which I always do – I don't know that everybody can do that. That's the hard part. John Irving
I think the sport of wrestling, which I became…
I think the sport of wrestling, which I became involved with at the age of 14… I competed until I was 34, kind of old for a contact sport. I coached the sport until I was 47. I think the discipline of wrestling has given me the discipline I have to write. John Irving
If you presume to love something, you must love…
If you presume to love something, you must love the process of it much more than you love the finished product. John Irving
I believe in rules of behavior, and I'm quite…
I believe in rules of behavior, and I'm quite interested in stories about the consequences of breaking those rules. John Irving
I don't think I've had a very interesting life…
I don't think I've had a very interesting life, and I feel that is a great liberation. That gives me great freedom as a fiction writer. Nothing that happened holds any special tyranny over me. John Irving
I find screenplays easy to write, my novels being…
I find screenplays easy to write, my novels being very visual. You see what people look like. The physical action is described. John Irving