If a story isn't working, I'm simply unable to finish it. That's what usually tells me something is wrong.

I think jazz and comic books are probably the two uniquely American art forms.

I've never had to work out of the arts. I've always either been a writer or an editor, or something where I've made my living from doing what I love. You can't get any better than that.

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

I've always been the audience that I wanted to reach, so I write for myself.

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.

I think every time you take a female character, a black character, a Hispanic character, a gay character, and make that the point of the character, you are minimalizing the character.