Status Updates From Life and Art: Essays

Russo explains a term I've never heard of - Creative Imagination. Authors employ this when writing their characters. It's a form of empathy.

"The logic goes, 'Okay, I'm not you, but if I take the time to observe you carefully, if I study how you navigate the world, if I listen to you when you speak, then in time I can begin to imagine what it feels like to be you.'

Russo is not content with simplistic explanations. He looks for more nuanced truths in relationships and events.

He writes, "Art - all art - thrives on conflict, the more tangled and impossible to ravel the better."

That said, he strives to write in a polished, clear way.

Russo: I was once asked in an interview, "What's the best thing about being a storyteller?"

"That's easy," I replied. "You get to cheat... to live many lives, not just the one you're born to."

"Ah," the interviewer nodded, understanding perfectly. "So, it's the same as reading.