“Write what you want, everything else is gravy”

“You know how you have a good meal and you got gravy left on the plate. The gravy was so good that you don’t want to leave it on the plate but you don’t want to be a pig about it? So you take your bread and use it to sop up the rest of the gravy. That guy is totally soppable!”

“When you finally figure out what you really want, everything else pales in comparison.”

“Write it, damn you, write it! What else are you good for?”

“When you write, you want fame, fortune and personal satisfaction. You want to write what you want to write and feel it's good, and you want this to go on for hundreds of years. You're not likely ever to get all these things, and you're not likely to give up writing and commit suicide if you don't, but that is -- and should be -- your goal. Anything else is kind of piddling.”

“News is what people want to keep hidden and everything else is publicity.”