When I'm not writing, I tend to get depressed and a little bit surly. And then when I'm writing, suddenly I feel enlivened. Now the only thing as I'm getting older that I notice is that it's a pattern.

So many people mentioned this at these rallies. You go to these things and it's kind of like an oldies concert. I mean, it's not hostile.

Positive human action is not only possible, but pervasive; human beings can improve and choose light and so on. And this is all happening.

I think people have come to expect that in artistic representation; that every work of art should be a work of extravagant hope.

With non-fiction writing I feel like I'm confined and driven by what actually happened. That makes the "plot". So it's a process of getting all of my notes typed up, then scanning through the notes, trying to extract or find certain vignettes that seem like they might write well - that might have a potential for good energy, shape, etc. And then at some point I start stringing these together, keeping an eye on the word count.

That seems to be the definition of 'novel' for me: a story that hasn't yet discovered a way to be brief.

I read to make myself feel awake.