Now death is with us in such abundance and hovers over us in so massive a form that we don't have time to invent a mythology, nor is our creativity directed toward same. Now it's to prevent death.

I remember the first sale I made was a hundred and fifty dollars for a radio script, and, as poor as I was, I didn't cash the check for three months. I kept showing it to people.

I don't feel, God dictated that I should write.

I think I would like to be in Victorian times. Small town. Bandstands. Summer. That kind of thing. Without disease.

Coming up with ideas is the easiest thing on earth. Putting them down is the hardest.

The tendency when you dictate is to overwrite, because you're not counting pages, you don't really know what the hell the page count is.

Apparently on the screen I look tall, ageless, and damned close to omniscient-delivering jeopardy-laden warnings through gritted teeth. But when people see me on the street, they say 'by God, this kid is 5 foot 5, he's got a broken nose, and looks about as foreboding as a bank teller on a lunch break.'