Jean M. Auel Quotes

I want to tell a story and shape it all the way through to the end.

It's really, always, the story and the characters that come first, and the other things are kind of dealt with in time or, in fact, driven by the story.

I don't think in terms of optimism and pessimism when writing a story. I am telling a story.

I like to tell stories that have beginnings, middles and ends.

The most important aspect of any story, to me, is character.

You'll work hard to create characters that are compelling and unforgettable. But in the end, it's the story that matters.

I love good stories; you have to have a good plot - characters which intertwine with a good plot.

Before you can write a novel you have to have a number of ideas that come together. One idea is not enough.

I like the story writing process. I usually use someone who has been trained for structure to take the story that I actually want, place those elements in the right places.

Our biggest challenge is always story. The story is the ultimate thing you try to tackle.

I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.

Stories aren't the icing on the cake; they are the cake!

The parallels between a stage and a book are compelling. You, like all authors, create 'characters' in a 'setting' who speak 'dialogue' encased in 'scenes.' Most importantly, you - like the playwright - have an 'audience.'

When I approach a story or movie, the story is the most important thing.

Novels usually evolve out of 'character.' Characters generate stories, and the shape of a novel is entirely imagined but should have an aesthetic coherence.

I always try to make the setting fit the story I have in mind.

When I start thinking about a story, I don't start by thinking about the fashion, but about who I want to photograph and what the story should be about.

I've always written about other artists, or I write my thoughts down, but I've never written a story.

Roles don't fascinate me. It is the narrative, the screenplay that is fascinating.

I'm just trying to create characters and tell stories.

'Annapurna' is a sort of novel. It's a novel, but a true novel.

I believe that, in any novel of mine, the principal objective is the construction of the whole.

My stories run up and bite me on the leg - I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.

It was always about the story rather than the character.

Judgments and secrets are what make a good novel.