Movies have to handle time very efficiently. They're about stringing scenes together in the present. Novels aren't necessarily about that.

Why mince words? Beautiful Ruins is an absolute masterpiece.

Whatever you're working on, take small bites. The task will not be overwhelming if you can reduce it to its smallest component.

My dad had this rock hard body and would work 12- to 13-hour days. The guys he worked with were scrap-iron guys. Nobody on that road crew had read a book in 10 years, but there was something about the way they lived I really admired.

You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. She enters into her characters thoughts with great understanding and depth.

Cary Grant never won an Oscar, primarily, I suspect, because he made everything look so effortless. Why reward someone for having fun, for being charming?

I just have this feeling that if it weren't for the Gloversville Free Library that I probably would not be a writer.