Literary Birthday – 20 December – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Happy Birthday, Taylor Jenkins Reid, born on 20 December 1983.

Taylor Jenkins Reid Quotes

1. I start with my idea, and I know how the story begins and the story ends, but what’s in the middle I don’t know. (Britannica)
2. So for my first drafts, which can take anywhere from four weeks to eight weeks, I write a certain amount of words per day and that’s what I have to get done. (Britannica)
3. [My ideas] come from wanting to capture feelings and find answers more than anything. I tend to fixate on a question: Is there such a thing as fate? Or How would it feel to lose the love you just found? And then I extrapolate from there. (Books By Women)
4. I am endlessly inspired by both the tenderness that can exist between two people and the excitement of falling in love. (Books By Women)
5. I think the big thing—and it’s big—is to be ready to hustle. You have to be willing to ask for favors for opportunities that you might not have originally been considered for. You have to be willing to work hard before even getting paid. (Books By Women)
6. I decided to try fiction. I wrote a short story that ended up becoming a novella, and then used the novella to get a literary agent. Then finally I sat down with the intention of writing a full-length book, which became Forever, Interrupted, my debut novel. (Book Browse)
7. I write about women who feel real to me. It’s what I see in my friends or in the world. I don’t put as much focus on likeability as much as I believe this person exists, which means they are flawed and make mistakes. But then they do something wonderful and surprising. (Woman & Home)
8. I want to tackle new and different things, and it’s really wonderful when you find this pocket of creativity where you feel like, “Oh, I can live in this space for a little while and I can tell a lot of stories here,” but I never want to stay at the party too long. (AP News)
9. Anytime I have lost my way creatively, it’s because I didn’t have anything to say – or maybe I should say it was because I hadn’t yet found what I wanted to say. (Books By Women Part 2)
10. First drafts are when I wake up every morning dreading my office. But I make sure that no matter what else happens that day, I hit my word count. The word count varies depending on the book and how much time I’ve allotted. (Books By Women Part 2)

Taylor Jenkins Reid is is a bestselling award-winning American author. Her earlier books contained New Adult themes. Her latest historical novels often feature protagonists who have achieved fame in such fields as film, music, and sports. Her New York Times bestselling novels are Atmosphere, Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Her books have sold over 21 million copies. Several of her novels have been or are being adapted into movies or miniseries, including Daisy Jones & the Six, about a 1970s rock band. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Source for image: Author’s Website

by Amanda Patterson

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