Naturally my stories are about women - I'm a woman. I don't know what the term is for men who write mostly about men. I'm not always sure what is meant by "feminist." In the beginning I used to say, well, of course I'm a feminist. But if it means that I follow a kind of feminist theory, or know anything about it, then I'm not. I think I'm a feminist as far as thinking that the experience of women is important. That is really the basis of feminism.

I want my stories to move people ... to feel some kind of reward from the writing.

Anecdotes don't make good stories. Generally I dig down underneath them so far that the story that finally comes out is not what people thought their anecdotes were about.

Why is it a surprise to find that people other than ourselves are able to tell lies?

A story ... has a sturdy sense of itself of being built out of its own necessity, not just to shelter or beguile you.

The story fails but your faith in the importance of doing the story doesn't fail.

I despised their antics because I took life seriously and had a much more lofty and tender notion of romance. But I would have liked to get their attention just the same.