I've never sat down and thought about the difference between plot and theme. To me, that's never been important.

Art is always in the eyes of the beholder. Only posterity has the right to point out our mistakes.

When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.

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.

The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?

When I submitted samples, I had only written stories to give myself something to draw. I was told, "The art is good, but not quite professional yet. But, I like the writing." I've been a writer for almost a half a century. It's very cool.

Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.