One of the things that draws writers to writing is that they can get things right that they got wrong in real life by writing about them.

Most of us dont live lives that lend themselves to novelistic expression, because our lives are so fragmented.

The human heart is a dark forest.

There are writers who do start doing the same thing again and again and almost inevitably fall into self-parody.

I try to help people become the best possible editors of their own work, to help them become conscious of the things they do well, of the things they need to look at again, of the wells of material they have not even begun to dip their buckets into.

One of the last courses I taught was on the Russian short story, which I love.

When your power comes from others, on approval, you are their slave. Never sacrifice yourselves - never! Whoever urges you to self-sacrifice is worse than a common murderer, who at least cuts your throat himself, without persuading YOU to do it.