Ted Chiang on Character and Process

"I've tried writing a story when I didn't know where it was going, and it never went anywhere. I'm not one of those writers whose characters take control of the storyline; if a character isn't the sort of person who'd behave in the manner I need, I revise the character's personality to fit."

--Ted Chiang interviewed by Gavin J. Grant for Indiebound

"I'm most interested in writing about characters experiencing a moment of comprehension. Sometimes it's a conceptual breakthrough, sometimes it's just a flash of recognition."

--Ted Chiang interviewed by Jeremy Smith for Interzone