“That was asking a lot of my readers, I realized, but I was trying to write the novel I would most enjoy decoding.”

“Then I decided I would spend the summer writing a novel. That would fix a lot of people. ”

“I quickly realized that I enjoyed editing more than writing. I felt more suited to it and it fit my nurturing personality. I had lots of ideas and a strong sense of structure, and I enjoyed working with talented writers, relishing the give-and-take in making their work better.”

“I do believe that characters in novels belong to their writers and their readers pretty equally. I've learned a lot of things about the characters I write from people who read about them. Readers expand them in ways I don't think of and take them to places I can't go.”

“I'm not a fast reader. I like to linger over each sentence, enjoying the style. If I don't enjoy the writing, I stop.”

“Early on I set out to write the next Great American Novel, and then later on I set out the silverware and enjoyed my dinner in silence.”