Why does everyone think that I am a cruel and insensitive man? I mean, come on, I have kids... on my desk in little jars!

where the world ends is where you must begin

You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair - the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.

I can remember as a college student writing stories and novels, some of which ended up getting published and some that didn't. It was like my head was going to burst - there were so many things I wanted to write all at once. I had so many ideas, jammed up. It was like they just needed permission to come out.

There is no such thing as a happy ending. I never met a single one to equal "Once upon a time.

It didn´t occur to me until later that there´s another truth, very simple: greed in a good cause is still greed.

Are you sure self-pity is a luxury you can afford, Jack?