When I started out in the early 1930s, there were a great many magazines that published short stories. Unfortunately, the short-story market has dwindled to almost nothing.

I am forced to say that I have many fiercer critics than myself.

I've gone on the wagon, but my body doesn't believe it.

All writers are the same - they forget a thousand good reviews and remember one bad one.

Every novelist has a different purpose-and often several purposes which might even be contradictory.

If you're young enough, any kind of writing you do for a short period of time is a marvelous apprenticeship.

Writing is like a contact sport, like football. Why do kids play football? They can get hurt on any play, can't they? Yet they can't wait until Saturday comes around so they can play on the high school team, or the college team, and get smashed around. Writing is like that. You can get hurt, but you enjoy it!