“How is your writing going, Michael?""Still from the top of the page on down, Mrs. Raglan.”

“It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top.”

“I mean, what can you say about how you write your books? What I mean is, first you've got to think of something, and then when you've thought of it you've got to force yourself to sit down and write it. That's all." ~ Mrs. Oliver”

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

“The archangel Michael came down from on high and I asked him,'Lo, how can I getteth the stick from my friend Paul's ass?' and he said, 'This ought to go a long way.' And he gave me a six-pack of Heineken.”

“Mrs. Vice turned to the weddings page. She liked to look at the smiling brides and imagine how miserable they would soon be.”