Isaac Singer was born in Poland and doesn't write in English. Still, he's an American.
In a novel, it's hard to keep track of everybody
A writer is a human being. He has to live with a sense of honor.
The romantic idea is that everybody around a writer must suffer for his talent. I think a writer is a citizen of humanity, part of his nation, part of his family. He may have to make some compromises.
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.