The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one.

Stories are like assholes. Everybody's got one and most of 'em stink.

I’ve tried writing and the sentences come out fine, but I write a few pages and I don’t want to go on.

I think persistence in the face of adversity is an essential part of a writer’s job description. If you don’t care enough about it to avoid being easily disheartened that way, you really should be doing something else.

One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.

Why on earth should I care whether people read me with their eyes or their ears?

The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one.