Writing is the most solitary of arts.

Life and people are complex. A writer as an artist doesn't have the personality of a politician. We don't see the world that simply.

I wrote a novel called "Blonde," which is about Norma Jean Baker, who becomes Marilyn Monroe, which I called a fictitious biography. That uses the material as if it were myth - that Marilyn Monroe is like this mythical figure in our culture.

I am inclined to think that as I grow older I will come to be infatuated with the art of revision, and there may come a time when I will dread giving up a novel at all.

Characters begin as voices, then gain presence by being viewed in others' eyes. Characters define one another in dramatic contexts. It is often very exciting, when characters meet - out of their encounters, unanticipated stories can spring.

Our house is made of glass... and our lives are made of glass; and there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves.

Only in love is there trust - even the possibility of trust.