I think many writers really believe that being published is a traumatic experience.

I still do believe that form and content are very much related. I think throwing away some of the rule books on that is a good thing.

I learned I could be miserable anywhere in the world. I learned I really was an American.

As a reader myself, which precedes my being a writer, of course, I read in order to enter another world.

If I have to work on something for too long, then it must be wrong. At a certain point, if I've worked on a sentence for about an hour, then I realize that it's probably not the right sentence and means I'm trying to make something fit that's ungainly.

Whether they're ghosts of great writers or people I loved - some died because of AIDS, others under mysterious circumstances - I don't want to forget these people, ever. That's very much a part of my still being alive - to remember those who aren't here anymore.

Ulysses pissed me off. When Molly Bloom just says, "Yes I said yes I will Yes." And I'm thinking, You should be saying no, Molly. How about no? Saying no is great.