I don't want to say I hear voices; well, actually I do hear voices, but I don't think it's supernatural. I think it's just that when characters are given enough texture and backbone, then lo and behold, they stand on their own.

I consciously try to end my novels at a point where I won't have to wonder about my characters ever again.

Once your mind is caught on the right snag, there's nothing so hard about the mechanics of writing.

When I'm working on something, I proceed as if no one else will ever read it.

How plotless real life was!

I'll write maybe one long paragraph describing the events, then a page or two breaking the events into chapters, and then reams of pages delving into my characters. After that, I'm ready to begin

The one ironclad rule is that I have to try. I have to walk into my writing room and pick up my pen every weekday morning