I have an idea of how the book will finish up, but it very rarely finishes up the way that I think it's going to.

It's a long way back to Eden, Sweetheart, so don't sweat the small stuff.

Writers remember everything...especially the hurts. Strip a writer to the buff, point to the scars, and he'll tell you the story of each small one. From the big ones you get novels. A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is the ability to remember the story of every scar. Art consists of the persistence of memory.

Every man or woman who loves Him, they hate Him too, because He's a hard God, a jealous God.

Maybe that's why God made us kids first and built us close to the ground, because He knows you got to fall down a lot and bleed a lot before you learn that one simple lesson. You pay for what you get, you own what you pay for... and sooner or later whatever you own comes back home to you.

And I guess you judge how well you're doing by how well you sleep at night... and what your dreams are like.

The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a wonderful piece of work.