Victor LaValle

Writing to corroborate what you already think is the essence of bad writing.

Before September 11, the skinny, jittery black guy made security think one thing: drug mule. But after the attacks, security only cared about bombs. So it was the Arab guys, the Puerto Ricans and Indians, even white men, that got searched. I was too dark to make people worry on a plane. Still caused fear in elevators.

The success of any society must be judged by the life of its worst off. No other calculation will do.

I'm always trying to make myself laugh. I'm the most enthusiastic audience I'm likely to find, so if it doesn't make me smile then it probably won't work on you. The jokes that only make me shrug get cut.

One of the reasons I love devils so much is not based in my faith, but because as a kid, I grew up loving heavy metal and horror movies, and the devil is such a huge presence in both.

Lonely women destroy themselves lonely men threaten the world.

'The Sundial' is written with the kind of humor that would make a guillotine laugh.

Human beings are no damn good,_ he said. __e are even worse than animals. We like ...__e trailed off, cleared his throat, but his voice hardly reached a whisper.__e like monsters,_ he said.

Nobody ever thinks of himself as a villain, does he? Even monsters hold high opinions of themselves.

I__ always looking for the monster. Not even just in horror. I want them in everything. Just give me the monsters. Logical conclusions don__ satisfy. Monsters satisfy, absolutely.

The person you are (in total, at that moment in time) is what creates the story you're writing. It's infused in every piece of punctuation, in the plot, in the most minor character who crosses the page. It's all your voice.

If you haven't caused a scene in a psych unit, it's just because you haven't been inside long enough.

Empathy is what separates human beings from teenage boys.

Doubt is the big machine. It grinds up the delusions of women and men.

That__ the funny thing,_ she said. __en always want to die for something. For someone. I can see the appeal. You do it once and it__ done. No more worrying, not knowing, about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I know you all think it sounds brave, but I__l tell you something even braver. To struggle and fight for the ones you love today. And then do it all over again the next day. Every day. For your whole life. It__ not as romantic, I admit. But it takes a lot of courage to live for someone, too.

Taken together the Internet reads like the grandest character-driven novel humanity has ever known. Not much plot though.