One of the main reasons I don't like leaving the house is because I might find myself face to face with a Canadian.

I love the camaraderie of a writers' room.

Being in writers' rooms turns you feral. You are swearing, you are going to very dark, mean places. You start out in the room with all these smart people, and you're all well-read and well-educated and the humor is really erudite. And then over the course of the year, after the production schedule grinds you down, it is just so mean and stupid.

I think one of the good things about writing novels is that you always start from scratch.

The first stop on this crazy train is Kindergarten Junction, and nobody gets off until it pulls into Harvard Station.

Those East Coast rich kids are a different breed, on a fast track to nowhere. Your friends in Seattle are downright Canadian in their niceness. None of you has a cell phone. The girls wear hoodies and big cotton underpants and walk around with tangled hair and smiling, adorned backpacks. Do you know how absolutely exotic it is that you haven’t been corrupted by fashion and pop culture? A month ago I mentioned Ben Stiller, and do you remember how you responded? ‘Who’s that?’ I loved you all over again.

I think thats the most important job of a novelist - to bring authority to their writing.