Yelling is a form of publishing

Science and fiction both begin with similar questions: What if? Why? How does it all work? But they focus on different areas of life on earth.

Writing is very improvisational. It's like trying to fix a broken sewing machine with safety pins and rubber bands. A lot of tinkering.

Things musicals taught me: All your problems will go away if you sing about it.

Show me a character totally without anxieties and I will show you a boring book.

A hot wind was blowing around my head, the strands of my hair lifting and swirling in it, like ink spilled in water.

The society in 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a throwback to the early Puritans whom I studied extensively at Harvard under Perry Miller, to whom the book is dedicated.