I try not to think too much or be too impatient, and let the back of my brain do its mysterious work.

The triumph of writing fiction is that by doing so, writers can build a more ideal world in themselves.

Sometimes you have to let time carry you past your troubles.

At least in my case, a very simple, regular, happy life makes for better writing.

A female writer does definitely get more attention if she writes about male characters. It's true. It's considered somehow more literary, in the same way that it's more literary to write about supposedly male subjects, such as war. You're considered more seriously by the literary establishment.

When I write new worlds, I work in layers, building and throwing out, and building anew.

In terms of writing, I think what most fiction writers treasure more than anything is the feeling that they're living for the length of a book inside another person.