The concept of writing a novel and not knowing where it's going - I don't know how to do that. Novels are plot- and character-driven, so if I don't know what becomes of people, how can I know where it should begin?

It happens to many teenagers-that moment when you feel full of resentment or distrust for those adults you once loved unquestioningly.

And Father said, “There are no happy endings.” “Right!” cried Iowa Bob – an odd mixture of exuberance and stoicism in his cracked voice. “Death is horrible, final, and frequently premature,” Coach Bob declared. “So what?” my father said. “Right!” cried Iowa Bob. “That’s the point: So what?” Thus the family maxim was that an unhappy ending did not undermine a rich and energetic life. This was based on the belief that there were no happy endings.

You take every opportunity given you in this world, even if you have too many opportunities. One day, the opportunities stop, you know.

And I don't want to begin something, I don't want to write that first sentence until all the important connections in the novel are known to me. As if the story has already taken place, and it's my responsibility to put it in the right order to tell it to you.

It doesn't really matter who said it - it's so obviously true. Before you can write anything, you have to notice something.

There is no straightforward negotiation with a four year old.