In one book, CACHALOT, just for my own amusement, every character is based directly on someone I have known.

The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.

Where lies the line between sorcery and science? It is only a matter of terminology, my friend.

Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting.

Keep writing. Try to do a little bit every day, even if the result looks like crap. Getting from page four to page five is more important than spending three weeks getting page four perfect.

It is always hard when reality intrudes on belief.

Spontaneity is one of the joys of existence, especially if you prepare for it in advance.

How much research I have to do depends on the nature of the story. For fantasy, none at all.

Advances have fallen, generally, for everything except the biggest potential bestsellers. Given all the changes, both economic and technological, SF hasn't done too badly.

If you're crazy, there's two things you can do to make yourself feel better: One is to get yourself cured. The other is to make everyone you have to deal with crazy.

The universe is full of dead people who lived by assumption.

The stories that grow up around a king are strong vines with a fierce grip.

Jesus promises a life in which we increasingly have to stretch out our hands and be led into places where we would rather not go.

I'm great at lying to myself.

We need to touch the fountain of life to draw in living lasting strength.

Learning is the knowledge of that which none but the learned know.

Inspiration, it is well recognized, rarely comes unless an individual has immersed himself in the subject. He must have a rich background of knowledge and experience in it.

You can't always see both sides of the story. Eventually, you have to pick a side and stick with it. No more equivocating. You have to commit.

It is a great rush to come up with a joke that gets a good response from the audience. It's gold!

Mission is a workshop where there is room for all.

The more inventory a company has, the less likely they will have what they need.