 But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his actions that is convincing to him. It's fun to give these people voices. |
| I held a variety of jobs - most notably ten years working in universities - and kept on writing. |
| I don't have dry seasons, because I don't allow them. |
| I had been writing fiction since I was in eighth grade, because I loved it. |
| If you'll think about various series you've read, can you think of any instance in which, say, the tenth volume of the series is notably better than the first nine? I can't. |
| All writers are mimics, and I'm not interested in picking up somebody else's style or voice. |
| Yes, in my books I do edit myself to keep from becoming the Village Explainer. |
| Much of what we do in life has a huge component of luck. |
| It's important, I think, for a writer of fiction to maintain an awareness of the pace and shape of the book as he's writing it. That is, he should be making an object, not chattering. |
| You have very accurately described the difficulty of presenting my books on film: many of my characters are alone most of the time, and when they do talk, what they say is mostly lies. That can make for a pretty confusing film. |
| I do like to explore evil characters in my books. |
| The characters you refer to as predatory and unsavory are useful. They're the ones who make a novel into a thriller. They're active, and most of the common virtues, the signs of a good person, are not. |
| If I don't have a project going, I sit down and begin to write something - a character sketch, a monologue, a description of some sight, or even just a list of ideas. |
| Contrary to what many writers imply about the process, nobody forces a writer to sell his work to the film industry. |
| Once you have invented a character with three dimensions and a voice, you begin to realize that some of the things you'd like him to do to further your plot are things that such a person wouldn't, or couldn't, do. |
| I do want to write about Jane Whitefield again, but only when I have a good enough idea - something I've figured out about her that's news and that's worth a reader's time. |
| Being comfortable isn't the way to learn to expand your abilities. |
| There are days when I intentionally don't write. For instance, I never write when I'm traveling, because travel is a situation where I can learn more by looking and listening than by working. |
| When I write a book, I'm making it the best book I can. |
| I do hope to bring Jane Whitefield back before too long. |
