Scottish - Writer | 1972 -
We can all fight against loneliness by engaging in random acts of kindness.
Gail Honeyman
KindnessLonelinessFightRandom
I had been thinking about social awkwardness and about people you meet who are not bad people - there is nothing wrong with them, but they are just a little bit awkward, and it makes you feel uncomfortable, and it makes you want to bring the encounter to an end. I thought, 'Is there a reason for that? What has contributed to their demeanour?'
PeopleThinkingThoughtBad People
I wanted to write about the transformative power of small acts of kindness. An old man falls in the street, you stop and make sure he's OK. Or even smaller acts than that, though - buying someone a cup of coffee, telling them their hair looks nice - sometimes you don't realise the transformative effect on people. I wanted to celebrate that.
KindnessPowerCoffeeManPeople
It's helpful to get feedback on your work, and I think you learn a lot from reading other people's work and giving them feedback.
WorkPeopleReadingThinkLearnYou
I was hurtling towards 40, and I'd always wanted to write. It does focus your mind, heading towards that big birthday. If there is anything you think you want to do, you think, 'I probably should have a go now!'
BirthdayFocusMindThinkYouWant
I wanted to show platonic friendship between men and women, because I think it is underutilised in fiction.
FriendshipWomenMenThinkFiction
Even with the most horrendous things that happen and the tremendous pain that people have to deal with, they still laugh, because I think that's what it means to be human.
PainPeopleThinkLaughHumanDeal
Eleanor Oliphant isn't me or anyone I know. Of course I've felt loneliness - everybody does - but Eleanor and her experiences are fictional.
LonelinessMeKnowExperiencesHer
As a little girl, I used to write stories, but by my teenage years, I got out of the habit.
GirlHabitWriteYearsOutLittle
If I've helped fuel the debate on loneliness in some small way, that is wonderful.
LonelinessSmallDebateWaySome
Not to sound too Pollyanna-ish, but I think most people are decent, caring human beings. You don't necessarily see that reflected in fiction maybe, because possibly it's perceived as not having much dramatic potential.
CaringPeopleThinkPotentialYou
If you break things down to goodies and baddies, the baddies are always a bit more alluring in fiction, and that's true from a narrative point of view. But I wanted to write a novel about real life, and real life is a bit more nuanced than that.
LifeViewYouPoint Of ViewDown
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Gail Honeyman quotes