People who light up like Roman candles come down in the dark very quickly.

I never show anything to anybody until I've finished it

An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment the world hands out and the punishment he inflicts upon himself.

I reach my readers regardless of what the critics have written

I cringe when critics say I'm a master of the popular novel. What's an unpopular novel?

A writer is a human being. He has to live with a sense of honor.

No writer need feel sorry for himself if he writes and enjoys it, even if he doesn't get paid.