Id always been a big reader, and I loved books, and I always thought writing would be a great way to get by in the world.

I'm beginning to believe that anything I do to extend my life is just going to be outweighed by the agony of living it.

I don't think writing fiction has changed my worldview.

Nostalgia is partly illusion in that we remember things differently as we get older, etc. But that doesn't mean, when historians look back on the 1950s, say, from the year 2090, it won't be judged as a saner, slower, less narcissistic, more family-focused, and economically secure time.

I'm trying to break myself of that habit [of not writing out a first draft ] because I'm working on a couple novels and I know if I tried to write those books the way I wrote the stories it would take me years to finish.

I don't think I'd call [mood] a major force, but it is important as far as hitting the right notes or nuances with a character or scene.

A lot of people get the wrong impression, think there's something romantic or tragic about hitting bottom.