“The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one...”

“Though we might have precious littleIt's still preciousI like that song about this wonderful worldIt's got a sunny point of viewAnd sometimes I feel it's trueAt least for a few of usI like that world, it makes a wonderful songBut there's a darker point of viewBut sadly just as trueFor so many among usThough we might have precious littleIt's still preciousIn the sweetest child there's a vicious streakIn the strongest man there's a child so weakIn the whole wide world there's no magic placeSo you might as well rise put on your bravest faceI like that show where they solve all the murdersAn heroic point of viewIt's got justice and vengeance tooAt least so the story goesI like that story, makes a satisfying caseBut there's a messy point of viewThat's sadly just as trueFor so many among usIn softest voice there's an acid tongueIn the oldest eyes there's a soul so youngIn the shakiest will there's a core of steelOn the smoothest ride there's a squeaky wheelThough we might have precious littleIt's still precious”

“Don’t try to write a novel. Write short stories and then figure out how to connect them.”

“Your time is precious so this book is short and to the point.”

“[I]n adult literary fiction, stories are there on sufferance. Other things are felt to be more important: technique, style, literary knowingness. Adult readers who do deal in straightforward stories find themselves sidelined into a genre such as crime or science fiction, where no one expects literary craftsmanship. But stories are vital. Stories never fail us, because, as Isaac Bashevis Singer says, "events never grow stale." There's more wisdom in a story than in volumes of philosophy. [Contemporary writers, however,] take up their stories as with a pair of tongs. They're embarrassed by them. If they could write novels without stories in them, they would. Sometimes they do.”

“Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.”