There can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.

I had achieved the most important things in my life when I married Joan and had the sons. Given the choice between Joan and the boys, and being a writer, I world give up being a writer without a blink.

Sure, I have advice for people starting to write. Don't. I don't need the competition.

Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.

I took my .38 out and looked to see that there were bullets in all the proper places. I knew there would be, but it did no harm to be careful. And I'd seen Clint Eastwood do it once in the movies.

I have reached the point where I know that as long as I sit down to write, the ideas will come. What they will be, I don't know.

You do the best you can and you deal with the consequences. It's all there is.