I think precision in writing goes hand in hand with not trying to say everything. You try and say two-thirds, so the reader will involve himself or herself.

But we were interested in how our lives could mean something to the past. We sailed into the past.

I have spent weeks in the desert, forgetting to look at the moon, he says, as a married man may spend days never looking into the face of his wife. These are not sins of omission but signs of pre-occuopation.

It's why you create characters: so you can argue with yourself.

As someone who writes novels that are often set in other periods of time or other ages or other landscapes, there's a certain element of research I have to do, and often, the more laconic people are, the more interesting they become.

I promised to tell you how one falls in love.

Jung was absolutely right about one thing. We are occupied by gods. The mistake is to identify with the god occupying you.