It took me 10 years to write a story that pleased me - that I could look at after it was published and not cringe.

The funny thing is, about the time I let go of any aspiration toward worldly success, that's about the time I started writing decent work.

If you want to write, then write; if you don't want to write, then don't write. I fell into the former category, and I just made the decision that I'd keep on because I liked it and might someday do something decent.

I quit law in 1988 to start writing, and it took me 17 years from that point to get a book contract. I guess you can say I was on the slow train.

It took me 10 years to write a story that pleased me - that I could look at after it was published and not cringe.

It's amazing what happens when you stick yourself in a place and let things take their more or less natural course.

I got brilliant stories from people who'd never set foot in an MFA program and had published very little, and terrible stories from people who'd published a lot and had all the credentials. It was all over the map and that was part of the fun.