I never sit down to write anything personal unless I know the subject is going to go beyond my own experience and address something larger and more universal.

I have bougainvillea and a magnolia tree outside my window. Not that anything will ever beat the view I had from my desk window in my little farmhouse in Nebraska. Just a dirt road stretching out as far as you could see, with prairie grass on either side.

To me, having 'material' for an essay means not only having something to write about but also having something interesting and original to say about whatever that might be.

Meghan Daum Quotes