User:Whitters2427/Matt Quick

Matt Quick is the author of a novel called The Silver Linings Playbook, which has gained increasing fame in 2009.

Matt Quick is the author of a novel called The Silver Linings Playbook, which has gained increasing fame in 2009. For more information visit his website. == Biography == Early Life and Education From the age of 17 Matt Quick always knew he wanted to be a novelist. In order to convince his dad to pay for college he went to La Salle for a degree in English Education (what could be easier than teaching about writing and books?) Quick loved college, where he played bass in a band and wrote fiction for his school paper. When Quick wrote a fictional commentary on a “Walking Madonna” that looked melted, he experienced his first literary buzz in a few classroom discussions. At La Salle Quick made an influential friendship with Polish Theater teacher Helena White. Their friendship would continue for 10 years through phone calls to ensure that Quick’s dream of writing was being pursued. Career After La Salle Quick obtained a job in the Bancroft Neural Health in Haddonfield, NJ. Making 8 dollars an hour, Quick worked with Autistic Teens during the day and in the lockdown center during the nighttime hours. During this period of his life Quick was married and began looking for a more serious career. During his career as a high school English teacher Matt Quick did everything to excel. He coached 3 sports, ran the community service program, oversaw the accelerated English program, and served as a counselor for distraught students. He also traveled with the school to Ecuador. However, at 30 years old, despite health insurance, security, and a nice house- Quick realized he had lost the passion in his life- Writing. Adventure and Experience After discussing his depression with his wife, Quick decided to completely turn his life upside down. Despite criticism and disbelief from everyone around him, Quick quit his job, sold his house, and with his wife traveled to Nimibia, Africa to stay with a friend working in the Peace Corps. After experiencing a completely different culture, Quick returned to the basement of his in laws’ house to write the novel he had been dreaming of. His work included research, reading, writing letters to potential mentors, and submitting pieces to journals He wrote for three years, 10-14 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week- finally producing a manuscript titled “clouds.” Finally when Quick’s book- The Silver Linings Playbook- was bought to be published, it sold in Italy, Spain, the UK, NYC, and to Weinstein for a movie deal. Influences Quick’s writing has been influenced by his interest in authors such as Murikami, Kerouac, Hemingway, Camus, Kesey,and Vonnegut. Originally in the novel Kenny G was going to be Stevie Wonder, a more surreal character. However due to copyright laws of the lyrics in Wonder’s music, complications arose. Wonder’s people threatened to sue, so Quick decided to go with a lyric-less alternative- the more comedic Kenny G. Personal Insight When questioned about fiction, Quick replied “What is truth?” He stated that truth is relative and can be modified without lying- truth is modified by its surroundings. He believes fiction is often more truthful- much more can be said uncensored. He also explained that non-fiction is also relative- for example each generation’s portrayal of Abraham is completely different. Quick originally tried to write the “Playbook” in third person. However in first person the novel was much more personable. He also had fun with the fallible narrator- how much of Pat Peoples’ stream of consciousness is trustworthy? (Is he really a fat slob?) The contrast of mental health vs physical health is important in the story. Although changes in physical health can be observed by the plain eye, changes in mental health are visible only through behavior. Quick agreed with the description of Tiffany as “the un-sexy solution to the problem in your life.”

Quotes:  “A book is never finished, it is only abandoned at a higher form of completion.”~Matt Quick “You get one day to feel sorry for yourself, then you have to get back to work.” ~Hank Baskett “Life is tough… but it can be happy too.” ~Matt Quick on depressing high school literature