the unconscious of an artist is her greatest treasure. It is what transmutes the dross of autobiography into the gold of myth.

Creativity demands nothing less than all you have. Talent alone is never enough.

It is a sad paradox that when male authors impersonate women ... they are said to be dealing with 'cosmic, major concerns' - but when we impersonate ourselves we are said to be writing 'women's fiction' or 'women's poetry.

I believe that there's a force of life in the universe, and that when we're writing or making music or painting, we're likely to connect with that flow.

I write lustily and humorously. It isn't calculated; it's the way I think. I've invented a writing style that expresses who I am.

As a reader, I want a book to kidnap me into its world. Its world must make my so-called real world seem flimsy. Its world must lure me to return. When I close the book, I should feel bereft.

Women are their own worst enemies. And guilt is the main weapon of self-torture . . . Show me a woman who doesn't feel guilty and I'll show you a man.