mikebatie

Sufjan Stevens trying to explain his writing process (2004)

“The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This is true in real life.

We come to be fully known, to be fully realized (as three-dimensional human beings) when we are at odds with the world. All good art magnifies this kind of exertion. Of course, as a listener (or as a reader) it’s far less convincing to observe these things abstractly. The ideas themselves (“conflict” and “pain”) look pathetic on the page. This is where detail is important. The particular objects of our life come to represent incomparable constructs. An untied shoelace could mean laziness or lack of commitment. There are endless nouns: an unpaid phone bill; a ball of bee’s wax; a halter top; an untuned piano. These things satisfy the senses. They evoke unpronounceable meaning.”