Poor slob without a name. It's a little inconvenient, his not having a name. But I haven't the right to give him one: he'll have to wait until he belongs to somebody. We just sort of took up by the river one day, we don't belong to each other: he's an independent, and so am I. I don't want to own anything until I know I've found the place where me and things belong together.

What I do requires fantastic concentration... but you can't be totally alone, or you lose all contact with reality, so even when I'm engrossed and secluded, Jack Dunphy can be there. He's my oldest and best friend, and best critic too.

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make.

Imagination, of course, can open any door - turn the key and let terror walk right in.

The problem with living outside the law is that you no longer have its protection.

I think to be a good teacher you need an enormous amount of patience and I'm a very impatient person.

I also write the last paragraph or page of a story first. That way I always know what I'm working towards.