“I begin with writing the first sentence—and trusting to Almighty God for the second.”

“If you don't hit a newspaper reader between the eyes with your first sentence, there is no need of writing a second one. ”

“I was the first Chicano to write in complete sentences.”

“First: never use a long word if a short word will do. Second: if you want to make a statement with a great many qualifications, put some of the qualifications in separate sentences. Third: do not let the beginning of your sentence lead the reader to an expectation which is contradicted by the end.”

“I was going to be in therapy for a long, long time. I wasn’t even a sentence yet. But I had some syllables, some new sounds. The first halves of the sentences I was accumulating were solid. I trusted them.”

“There is no right or wrong way to write a novel. Each journey is different for every individual work and for every writer. The first error is never to begin; the second is never to finish.”