I wrote a novel about the combat experiences I didn't have in Vietnam.

When I select a topic, it's usually a commitment of two to three years of my life

And I can imagine Farmer saying he doesn't care if no one else is willing to follow their example. He's still going to make these hikes, he'd insist, because if you say that seven hours is too long to walk for two families of patients, you're saying that their lives matter less than some others', and the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world.

I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.

If you live in the same small place long enough, something you don't like is bound to happen

Writing is revision. All prose responds to work.

...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.