When I am writing a novel I try not to read great prose stylists into which I will fall.

The education of young people is narrowing. They cannot have the scope they used to have. They are being taught in high school by people earnest, still, but maybe less well-prepared than we would want them to be - but not because they are stupid or churlish.

It's harder to get hold of the world. It's harder to understand the world, to encompass the literature necessary for the information.

It's hard to read real fiction. It takes time. It takes a sustained attention.

I have found myself writing poetry shortly after I retired. Which I hadn't done in forty years.

Never use 'submit' as a verb for sending work to magazine or book publishers; say 'offer,' and never, ever submit. Keep your knees unbent. Be brave.

There is a lack of context in contemporary education. And contemporary consideration - because we live in those interiorities so much. Especially young kids who live by surfing the Web.