Michael Ondaatje

I tend not to know what the plot is or the story is or even the theme. Those things come later, for me. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#even #i #know #later #me

I don't see novels ending with any real sense of closure. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#closure #ending #i #novels #real

As a writer, one is busy with archaeology. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#busy #writer

That's Anil's path. She grows up in Sri Lanka, goes and gets educated abroad, and through fate or chance gets brought back by the Human Rights Commission to investigate war crimes. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#back #brought #chance #commission #crimes

It's why you create characters: so you can argue with yourself. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#characters #create #why #you #yourself

Truth, at the wrong time, can be dangerous. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#time #truth #wrong #wrong time

I don't have a plan for a story when I sit down to write. I would get quite bored carrying it out. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#carrying #down #get #i #out

A writer uses a pen instead of a scalpel or blow torch. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#instead #pen #scalpel #torch #uses

When you're writing, it's as if you're within a kind of closed world. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#kind #within #world #writing #you

You don't want to write your own opinion, you don't want to just represent yourself, but represent yourself through someone else. ↗

— Michael Ondaatje

#just #opinion #own #represent #someone