The story of Ulysses and Agamemnon and Menelaus, of Jesus, of the Good Knight of Chaucer, lives in every one of us. |
There's nothing like rejection to make you do an inventory of yourself. |
Today, there are more opportunities for writers in terms of access to larger success, but it's more difficult to publish a literary novel in the lower ranges. In other words, you almost have to hit a home run. You can hit a triple, maybe, but nobody's interested in a single. |
Using a first-person narrator is simply a matter of hearing the voice inside yourself. |
We decry violence all the time in this country, but look at our history. We were born in a violent revolution, and we've been in wars ever since. We're not a pacific people. |
When you find the right people, you never let go. The people who count are the ones who are your friends in lean times. You have all the friends you want when things are going well. |
You do it a day at a time. You write as well as you can, you put it in the mail, you leave it under submission, you never leave it at home. |