“There is a great deal of solemn discussion about The Novel. In fact, every novel is an answer to the ancient plea, 'Tell us a story.”
“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.”
“You mustn’t hit her over the head with it. Women like to be romanced like the heroines in the sensation novels.” “What the devil do you know about sensation novels?” “A man can learn a great deal about women from novels,” Matt said. “You should try it sometime.”
“I tell writers not to think about writing short stories or novels. Just write one good scene. And then a novel becomes a bunch of good scenes stacked on top of each other.”
“I have learned a great deal from novels. Some of it is even true.”
“Behind every novel is a greater story of how it came to be published.”