For peace of mind, I will lie about any thing at any time.

I meet a person, and in my mind I'm saying three minutes; I give you three minutes to show me the spark.

I know when a story is finished when there is not a single thing more I can think to do to it. And since I know at the start what the last line will be, I know when I've reached that point as logically as I can that it's finished. As for the rewriting-it's not foolproof, of course, but if you're honest about having thought of every possibility and you still come back to what you have, what more can you do?

Wear your heart on the page, and people will read to find out how you solved being alive.

Sometimes a flat-footed sentence is what serves, so you don't get all writerly: 'He opened the door.' There, it's open.

Just once in my life--oh, when have I ever wanted anything just once in my life?

I want to know everything about you, so I tell you everything about myself.