My stories do have plot. They're not just scattered language; they're controlled, toward an end.

You've got to lie to stay halfway interested in yourself.

You need to see a bit of hell now and then. That, and great joy.

The Deep South might be wretched, but it can howl.

I always intended to be light and open. I misjudged the American audience.

I'll tell you why I like writing: it's just jumping into a pool. I get myself into a kind of trance. I engage the world, but it's also wonderful to just escape. I try to find the purities out of the confusion. It's pretty old-fashioned, but it's fun.

The wild stuff is all so overrated. Drinking, you don't feel good all the time. There's a lot of down, a lot of misery.