I think, as the writer, you're always going to mourn something [left out of a film]. But you also just want to know there's a good reason for it being left out. On the whole, you want to give something to somebody creative. The worst thing you can do is say, "Here, be creative, but do it like I want you to do it." I was always very mindful of that.

Failure has been my best friend as a writer. It tests you, to see if you have what it takes to see it through.

...and the night is so deep and dark that I wonder if the sun will ever come up.

...there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing.

When she faced the noise, she found the mayor’s wife in a brand-new bathrobe and slippers. On the breast pocket of the robe sat an embroidered swastika. Propaganda even reached the bathroom.

I think to be writer you have to enjoy being alone. I was a loner as a teenager and was always drawn to characters in books and films who were at the fringes.

When I find research really rewarding is when one piece of information gives you an idea for a story. That's when it's great.