Everyone has his own sound. I'm not going to presume how to tell anybody how to write.

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

I still read Hemingway. I still read his short stories because they're so good. He doesn't waste any words.

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

I do have fun writing, and a long time ago, I told myself, 'You got to have fun at this, or it'll drive you nuts.'

I started out of course with Hemingway when I learned how to write. Until I realized Hemingway doesn't have a sense of humor. He never has anything funny in his stories.

Never open a book with weather. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want.