To me, writing is the most fun. It's not always fun, but finally when you make it come out the way you want, it's then you can say, 'It's fun, boy.'

Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue... I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

It doesn't have to make sense, it just has to sound like it does.

My characters have to talk, or they're out. They audition in early scenes. If they can't talk, they're given less to do, or thrown out.

If you take a few days to write an outline, you're just making up scenes that you think will work, that you think will be interesting. But as you write it, other ideas occur - better ideas that have to do with what you're writing.

A man can be in two different places and he will be two different men. Maybe if you think of more places he will be more men, but two is enough for now.

I get letters. I get several a week, I think. A lot of people want a picture, a lot of people just want an autograph.