I do whatever is necessary in order to maintain the equanimity we all need to withstand the disappointment and rejection that are the lot of every writer, no matter where we are in our careers.

I started realising that the themes running through all of my novels were really haunting and obsessing me about my own life.

Moving to the country has been incredibly good for my work, for my sense of perspective.

I'll have my students try to follow their minds during the course of a day, just to see the way their minds work, the way our minds hop from thing to thing to thing. The Internet mirrors that to such a degree you can actually see it. Show me your search history and I'll show you who you are.

You can start your day over anytime.

My journals were a clearing house - a garbage can. Once I was writing seriously, I understood that this was the stuff that didn't belong in my work.

Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.