Only two things happen to writers when they die: Either their work survives, or it becomes forgotten.

Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing.

He had been (Thinking? Praying?) It was all the same thing.

The tears that heal are also the tears that scald and scourge.

It's a tough life if you don't weaken.

Not every book has to be loaded with symbolism, irony, or musical language, but it seems to me that every book-at least every one worth reading-is about something.

When creative people do their best work, they're hardly ever in charge, they're just sort of rolling along with their eyes shut yelling wheee.