I used to be able to write five pages a day, every day, no problem. Now a good day is five or four pages, and that's from 9:30 A.M. until 6 P.M.

I won't read a book that starts with a description of the weather. I don't read books over 300 pages, though I'll make an exception for Don Delillo.

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.

I don't believe in writer's block or waiting for inspiration. If you're a writer, you sit down and write.

Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.

Skip the boring parts.

I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books.