Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories it is something organic, something that grows out of the material, and this being the case, it is different for every story of any account that has ever been written.

I have found, in short, from reading my own writing, that my subject in fiction is the action of grace in territory largely held by the devil.

I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying where the eyes, nose, and mouth are.

Tennessee's a hillbilly dumping ground, and Georgia's a lousy state too.

Success means being heard and don't stand there and tell me that you are indifferent to being heard. You may write for the joy of it, but the act of writing is not complete in itself. It has to end in its audience.

If you're a Catholic you believe what the Church teaches and the climate makes no difference.

I write to discover what I know.