313 Quotes by Elizabeth Berg

Oftentimes, I need to write about something in order to understand it.

Everybody knows the mother-daughter relationship is one of the most complex there is.

It is true that all mothers do things differently from their own mothers, but they don't necessarily do them better.

When I wrote 'Home Safe,' I wanted to look at a number of things: the mystery and joy and pain of creativity. What happens when a vital safety net is suddenly removed. The difficulty some people have in growing up. The way a deep love can be as crippling as it is satisfying. But mostly, I wanted to look at the mother-daughter relationship.

I always wrote as a vehicle for expression but did not try writing for publication until my mid-thirties, at which time I started writing for magazines. I wrote essays and then short stories, then moved into novels.

I know that sometimes it happens that a novelist is embarrassed about their early works. For me, it's the opposite: I believe 'Durable Goods' is the best thing I've written.

I think titles are extremely important for novels: They can set the tone, tip you off, serve as shorthand for what the essential contents are.

With 'Durable Goods,' I meant only to write about being an army brat. What emerged was a story about compassion - the need for it, the expression of it.

I don't really like questions about the writing process, because the truth is I don't know how I write.