My wife says, and I agree with her, that what would be really great for Maine would be to legalize dope completely and set up dope stores the way that there are state-run liquor stores. You could get your Acapulco gold or your whatever it happened to be - your Augusta gold or your Bangor gold. And people would come from all the other states to buy it, and there could be a state tax on it. Then everybody in Maine could have a Cadillac.

Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.

What is writing? Writing is telepathy.

I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright.

It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.

A short story is a different thing all together - a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.

Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.