There’s no right way to tell all stories, only the right way to tell a particular story.

Perhaps that is why the novel flourished in England. You had these communities that would stay put and people would see one another all the time and cause one another to change and have the opportunity to observe the changes over time.

The human heart is a dark forest.

You felt it as a depth of ease in certain boys, their innate, affable assurance that they would not have to struggle for a place in the world; that is already reserved for them.

Because I don't have to be careful of people's feelings when I teach literature, and I do when I'm teaching writing.

To be a writer you need to see things as they are, and to see things as they are you need a certain basic innocence.

There's a joy in writing short stories, a wonderful sense of reward when you pull certain things off.