The sign of a masterpiece: A painting when there's a lack of resolution.

Jane Austen easily used half a page describing someone else's eyes; she would not appreciate summarizing her reading tastes in ten titles.

Don't write about what you know - write about what you're interested in. Don't write about yourself - you aren't as interesting as you think.

I wanted to wear the mantle and the pearls. I wanted to know the man who painted her like that.

Say something worth the words.

You're so calm and quiet, you never say. But there are things inside you. I see them sometimes, hiding in your eyes.

I try to write 1,000 words a day - about three pages. When I reach 1,000 words I feel good. Less than that: a failure. More than that: tired.