I'm still vulnerable and still weak.

When I'm writing, I'm thinking, "Well, this might be a book that I'll always be happy with, and certainly readers will be happy with." But another part of me knows that when I'm past the stage of writing, the book is gonna have good things about it, bad things about it - probably more bad than good. I just know that. That's who I am.

When you're at the basketball court watching a game, one person may be talking about a fight he had with his wife, another is talking about the last hard-on he got, someone else is talking about the presidential election. The language and the tone and the voice - I'd love to be able to capture that spontaneity.

Things seem to fall apart inevitably.

Good writing is always about things that are important to you, things that are scary to you, things that eat you up.

Even in my adult years, when I heard a white person speaking in a Southern accent I was initially suspicious.

Do not fall asleep in your enemy's dream.