Even Jack Kerouac, who famously said, "First thought, best thought," benefited from editing. His earliest works are the most edited, and they're the best of his writing.

I am always interested in characters who are in these kinds of transitional moments in their lives, when it's not clear where they're going to end up. It's interesting territory for fiction.

Living in the world of the workshop, which I do as a teacher, you have to be articulate about craft. And that often involves imposing analysis on work that's in a pretty raw state.

The flesh of prose gets its shape and strength from the bones of grammar.

Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well motivated individual.

You're tearin' my guts out, Claire.

I express myself very strongly it's groveling, I'm trying to show groveling, but all of a sudden I found that I was mocking somebody.

He (the sage) wants all things to follow their own nature, but dares not act.

Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.

There's people been friendly But they'd never be your friends Sometimes this has bent me to the ground

Long live jihad and long live Palestine.

Whatever you focus on is what you get.