The wrong word is like a lie jammed inside the story.

…I go through a story for lies. I might discover the lie of trying to show off. Sometimes they’re lies of character. Sometimes they are lies of writing the most beautiful sentence in the world that has nothing to do with the story.

That heartbreaking moment when you finish an amazing book, and you are forced to return to reality.

I've started many novels, and they all ended on page seven.

Literature, fiction, poetry, whatever, makes justice in the world. That's why it almost always has to be on the side of the underdog.

The best training is to read and write, no matter what. Don't live with a lover or roommate who doesn't respect your work. Don't lie, buy time, borrow to buy time. Write what will stop your breath if you don't write.

I read a lot. I liked a tremendous number of poets and writers. The person whose work I liked the most was Joyce.