I don't get in a position to be frightened. I don't do anything dangerous, and I always pay my bills.

After 58 years you'd think writing would get easier. It doesn't. If you're lucky, you become harder to please. That's all right, it's still a pleasure.

I think any writer is a fool if he doesn't do it for money. There needs to be some kind of incentive in addition to the project. It all goes together. It's fun to sit there and think of characters and get them into action, then be paid for it. I can't believe it when writers tell me 'I don't want to show my work to anybody'.

My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will be entertained, too.

I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style.

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.

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