You could love your crazy people, even admire them, instead of resenting that they're not self-sufficient.

organization is the religion of the single parent.

The last generation's worst fears became the next one's B-grade entertainment.

Time cures you first, and then it kills you.

I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the future and my attachment to it. I can't imagine what kind of writer I'd be if I didn't have my kids.

I don't *ever* write about real people. Art is supposed to be better than that. If you want a slice of life, look out the window.

It is harrowing for me to try to teach 20-year-old students, who earnestly want to improve their writing. The best I can think to tell them is: Quit smoking, and observe posted speed limits. This will improve your odds of getting old enough to be wise.