God gives us humans everything we need to flourish, but he's not the one who's supposed to divvy up the loot. That charge was laid upon us

The combination of domesticity and wildness - that's a deep expression

You can write about anything, and if you write well enough, even the reader with no intrinsic interest in the subject will become involved.

At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done.

In a very basic way, a prominent landmark such as Mt. Holyoke tells you where you are. They let you know that you're not the first person in a place

When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.

I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.