I used to think that when I grew up there wouldn't be so many rules. Back in elementary school there were rules about what entrance you used in the morning, what door you used going home, when you could talk in the library, how many paper towels you could use in the rest room, and how many drinks of water you could get during recess. And there was always somebody watching to make sure. What I'm finding out about growing older is that there are just as many rules about lots of things, but there's nobody watching.

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

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.

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

The Three Cs, I told myself. When you're not Comfortable with it, it's not a Compliment, it's Creepy.

Since no one really knows what or who God is, or whether God is at all, why can't God be hope?

Writing, for me, is the best occupation I can think of, and there is nothing in the world I would rather do.