Why is life so complicated....?' I asked. 'To keep us from being bored,' he said.

Once I have the idea for a story. I start collecting all kinds of helpful information and storing it in three-ring notebooks. For example, I may see a picture of a man in a magazine and say, 'That's exactly what the father in my book looks like!'...I save everything that will help--maps, articles, hand-jotted notes, bits of dialogue from conversations that I overhear.

When you’ve found the right one - when you see him, when you’re with him - you’ll feel like you’re coming home.

An idea in the head is like a rock in the shoe; I just can't wait to get it out.

The first draft is just a skeleton-just bare bones. It's like the very first rehearsal of a play, where the director moves the actors around mechanically to get a feel of the action.

You don't have to be part of a couple to be happy, you know.

We all have our own battles to fight, and sometimes we have to go it alone. I'm stronger than you think, you'd be surprised.