It's not gender-specific, but I do think it's women who tend to start having that sort of little whispering voice of "I want more here" and "I want more for my family."

When I sit down with my notebook, when I start scribbling words across the page, I find out what I’m feeling.

It's easier in an urban world to cast the blame outward. So I've learned a lot about my own process in that way.

We don't ruminate during a fight. Maybe in a bath, or driving a car, or as we take a walk. But not right smack in the middle of a dramatic moment.

Writing has been my window-flung wide open to this magnificent, chaotic existence-my way of interpreting everything within my grasp.

Our minds have a tendency to wander. To duck and feint and keep us at a slight remove from the moment at hand.

As writers, it is our job not only to imagine, but to witness.