When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics.

It's all about who's where on the food chain. When I'm the story editor, I expect my writers to follow my vision. When I'm working for another editor, I'm obliged to follow their vision.

Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback.

I try to find what makes even the worst, most despicable character sympathetic at his or her core.

You can read a dozen different textbooks or how-to manuals that will tell you the basic rules of what makes a story - a beginning, a middle, and an end.

What makes a story is how well it manages to connect with the reader, the visceral effect it has.

I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt.