My desire is to be anonymous, isolated, quiet, peaceful, and concentrated.

It seems to me nothing man has done or built on this land is an improvement over what was here before.

He wanted to think of words that would make some difference but there were none in any language he knew that were sufficient to the moment or that would change a single thing.

After finishing the first draft, I work for as long as it takes (for two or three weeks, most often) to rework that first draft on a computer. Usually that involves expansion: filling in and adding to, but trying not to lose the spontaneous, direct sound. I use that first draft as a touchstone to make sure everything else in that section has the same sound, the same tone and impression of spontaneity.

You have to believe in yourself despite the evidence.

I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.

My desire is to be anonymous, isolated, quiet, peaceful, and concentrated.