My students - all adults - bring a lot of writing skill to the first class, and they and I get better as the class progresses.

I need time to develop the idea into a plot before I talk about it.

None of great sages of China preached the precept of love as a guideline for human behavior.

My experience is that an original and compelling idea for a novel is a rare thing.

I've never discovered the idea for my next novel while I was still working on the current novel. Other writers don't suffer this.

I can only write one novel at a time. The author of the Perry Mason novels, Erle Stanley Gardner, often worked on four novels simultaneously, and produced a million words a year. I'm envious.

I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong techniques from bestselling authors.

Reality for me is what I create!

Zen movement is a meditative practice.

Some journeys can only be traveled alone.

I don't know whether to be proud or appalled that danger, blood and death inspire you so.

Geography is crucial for my work. I went to Antarctica and took a studio to several of the main ice fields to make field recordings of ice to create a symphony - acoustic portraits of ice.

The state lies in all languages of good and evil; and whatever it says, it lies-and whatever it has, it has stolen.

Mysterious love, uncertain treasure, hast thou more of pain or pleasure! Endless torments dwell about thee: Yet who would live, and live without thee!

Stay away from trouble when you can.

I feel like movies, if there's any kind of budget whatsoever, there's so much sitting, and I really like to work. Otherwise my blood sugar just drops, you know, six hours sitting in a camper.

Self-denial and self-discipline, however, will be recognized as the outstanding qualities of a good soldier.