I lead a very conventional life.

Read, learn, work it up, go to the literature. Information is control.

Writing is the act of saying "I," of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying "listen to me, see it my way, change your mind."

We all survive more than we think we can.

Discovery still happens in the writing. You start in nonfiction with a whole lot more going for you, because all the discovery isn't waiting to be made. You've made some of it in the research. As you get deeper into a piece and do more research, the notes are in the direction of the piece - you're actually writing it.

The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it

It's just a deep pleasure to read something you've written yourself - if and when you like it.