“So I’m thinking this is the part of my movie where things appear as if nothing is going to workout. I have to remind myself that all movie characters go through this sort of dark period beforethey find their happy ending.”

“Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the movie is going to end badly, something dramatic happens, which leads to the happy ending. This seems like a good spot for something dramatic to happen, especially since it's my birthday.”

“Instead he thinks up the worst ending imaginable: Hemingway has Catherine die fromhemorrhaging after their child is stillborn. It is the most torturous ending I have everexperienced and probably will ever experience in literature, movies, or even television.I am crying so hard at the end, partly for the characters, yes, but also because Nikkiactually teaches this book to children. I cannot imagine why anyone would want toexpose impressionable teenagers to such a horrible ending. Why not just tell high schoolstudents that their struggle to improve themselves is all for nothing?”

“Also, I sort of let my appearance go, to the point where I was maybe ten to seventy pounds overweight...”

“I believe in happy endings," I tell him, "And it feels like this movie has gone on for the right amount of time.”

“...it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last...”

“...I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it.”