We respond to a drama to that extent to which it corresponds to our dream life.

You know, I once read an interesting book which said that, uh, most people lost in the wilds, they, they die of shame. Yeah, see, they die of shame. 'What did I do wrong? How could I have gotten myself into this?' And so they sit there and they... die. Because they didn't do the one thing that would save their lives. Thinking.

If you find that a point cannot be made without narration, it is virtually certain that the point is unimportant to the story (which is to say, to the audience).

We respond to a drama to that extent to which it corresponds to our dream life.

The Israelis would like to live in peace within their borders; the Arabs would like to kill them all.

Writing a novel is an incredibly free experience. One puts one's self in a narrative mode. You can go off in any direction - the past, the future, or go laterally, or include one's own beliefs. It's total freedom.

Put. That coffee. Down. Coffee's for closers only.