As a writer, my main objective is to tell the story urgently - as if whispering it into one ear - and to know the characters intimately.

And I know I'm supposed to feel guilty for wanting people to buy my books... and books in general? Novels and poetry, they belong to the realm of art. How dirty of us to try to hawk art! But, after a decade of hand-wringing and apologies, I can't quite muster the guilt anymore.

The poem has to bear the weight with image, language... the screenplay with dialogue, plot.

Omission is a sin only if, in the process of deceiving, you forget the truth. Lying is a sin only if, in the process, the lie becomes the only truth.

My childhood was marked by the great fear of nuclear holocaust. We practiced our Civil Defense Drills, lining up in hallways, curled to the floor, but we knew we'd die or, worse, survive only to suffer radiation and slow death.

The basic rule of storytelling is 'show, don't tell.

I'm about to start something new. I'm waiting to be whelmed. The whelming as you start something new is quite something.