2. Your dialogue is nuanced and distinct. How do you capture other people’s voices?
Well, despite all the drugs, you know, somehow I do seem to remember that kind of stuff pretty distinctly. Like, I remember conversations. A year or so after my first book came out, I ran into this girl I’d written about in the book, briefly. She’d read the book, and when we were talking about it, she asked me the same question, because I’d written down all our conversations almost verbatim. In fact, she said she remembered having used the exact same words I’d written. So, I don’t know, I feel lucky, I guess, in that way. I remember everything. But it can suck, too, you know? ’Cause I don’t ever get to forget all the pain and bad shit that happened.
3. Some writers maintain routines or rituals, like writing a page every day before breakfast. Do you have any writing habits or routines?
No, not really. It always changes. A lot of times I write at night while I’m watching TV, and then I’ll work till like 3 a.m. and the then sleep till 2. Sometimes I write in the morning. Actually, I used to write in the morning more, but now that I have dogs, I have to take them out on hikes, so I usually write at night.
4. Your books contain what some people might call “mature” or “explicit” language. Can you discuss your love affair with curse words?
First of all, it is the way I talk. But also, I mean, not that I’m an expert or anything, but to me, writing is about rhythm. No, it’s about story arc and plot and all that stuff, but to me, the most exciting aspect of writing is rhythm. I love music, and writing is like music, and, you know, “curse” words add flow to our language. They add music to the language. A sentence might be just plain boring. But a sentence can’t be fucking boring… you know what I mean? It’s all part of the rhythm.
5. What writers have influenced you as an author?
Dennis Cooper, Jim Thompson, Donald Goines, Iceberg Slim, Pauline Reage, Katherine Dunn, Matthew Stokoe, Jerry Stahl, Chandler, Hammett, Burroughs, Ryu Murakami, Mishima, Genet, Kosinski, Bukowski, Henry Miller, Chester Himes, Shirley Jackson, and more.
PRAISE FOR NIC SHEFF
WE ALL FALL DOWN
“Sheff’s journey, like his writing, is raw and compelling, heartbreaking and witty. An honest and gracious reflection about the challenges of recovery.”
—RACHEL SONTAG, author of House Rules: A Memoir
“The present-tense storytelling and Sheff’s authentic voice will keep readers engaged.”
—Publishers Weekly
TWEAK
“Difficult to read and impossible to put down.”
—Chicago Tribune
“An unflinching chronicle of life as an addict.”
—U.S. News and World Report
“Raw, powerful and honest.”
—The Bookseller
“Sheff’s story takes off like a shot in the arm with a terse, honest, and spontaneous narrative.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
Note to Readers
Introduction
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Part 2
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Part 3
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
For More Information
Reading Group Guide for We All Fall Down
Nic Sheff Discusses Writing
Praise for Nic Sheff
Copyright
Copyright
Text copyright © 2011 by Nic Sheff
Epilogue copyright © 2012 by Nic Sheff
Reading Group Guide and Author Interview copyright © 2012 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
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Second e-book edition: April 2012
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Excerpt from “Hold On” © 1970 Lenono Music. Written by John Lennon.
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ISBN 978-0-316-17589-0
