But the sensibility of the writer, whether fiction or poetry, comes from paying attention. I tell my students that writing doesn't begin when you sit down to write. It's a way of being in the world, and the essence of it is paying attention.

How we lie to ourselves when we've fallen in love with the wrong man.

When we read, even if the characters are tragic or sad or disturbing, these are our brothers and sisters in the human family.

Depression is always in the details.

I admit that for me love goes deeper than the struggle, or maybe what I mean is, love is the deeper struggle.

Every writer can tell you that a book is only truly alive when it finds passionate readers who bring it alive in their imaginations.

Everyone needs a strong sense of self. It is our base of operations for everything that we do in life.