There is always something to miss, no matter where you are.

I have great respect for children. And I have great respect for their ability as writers.

I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to. But other people write for other reasons: to see more closely what it is they are thinking about, what they may be afraid of. Sometimes writers write to solve a problem, to answer their own question. All these reasons are good reasons. And that is the most important thing I'll ever tell you. Maybe it is the most important thing you'll ever hear. Ever.

You should know that there are some things for which there are no answers, no matter how beautiful the words may be.

I think its important to remember where I began. I know that when I talk to other writers, say, writers from the South or writers from abroad, its where they begin as children that is important to them.

Im working on a bunch of things with my daughter Emily. In some ways, shes a smarter and better editor than I am.

I never work from an outline, and often I dont know how the story will end.