You know, I'm gay and I grew up being aware of that at a very early age, in a fairly repressed family.
Alan BallRead
I try to tell the best story, and the story that has some heart and some genuine terror and some social commentary and some comedy and some romance and some sex and some violence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the complexity and multi-faceted nature of storytelling.
Alan Ball suggests that a compelling story should encompass a wide range of human experiences, blending emotions such as love and fear, along with social insights, humor, and various elements of life. This holistic approach to storytelling allows narratives to resonate more deeply with audiences, reflecting the intricacies of life itself.
Themes
StorytellingArtEmotionNarrativeComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a film discussion, to highlight the importance of blending genres in storytelling.
More from Alan Ball
All quotes →If a scene is longer than three pages, it better be for a good reason.
Alan BallRead
It's hard for me to get interested in stories that ignore death, which is what American marketing culture would like to do: pretend that death doesn't exist, that you can buy immortality; just buy these products, and you'll be forever young and happy.
Alan BallRead
Death is a companion for all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, whether we're aware of it or not, and it's not necessarily a terrible thing.
Alan BallRead
I need to feel like the work I'm doing is not necessarily important, but meaningful, at least to me, because otherwise it just becomes a day job. It just becomes factory work and I get really frustrated.
Alan BallRead
I was conveniently bisexual for a long time, and then I went, 'Come on, who am I kidding?' And I have to say, it was the single biggest step I took toward emotional well-being, to stop feeling like I had to hide who I am.
Alan BallRead
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