“It's too bad for us 'literary' enthusiast, but it's the truth nevertheless — pictures tell any story more effectively than words.”

“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.”

“...he says he can't see why I didn't "just" tell the truth. but the truth is denser than he can imagine, yet it's more delicate than my body; it's more complicated than any love that ever passed between the two of us.”

“Can a story be good only if it produces an effect? If the effect is a bad one, but intended, has the story done its job? Is it then a good story? If the story produces an effect other than the intended one, is it then a bad story? Can a story be said to produce an effect at all? Can a story actually do anything at all? ”

“When we try to describe the truth with words, we distort it and it's no longer truth--it's our story. The story may be true for us, but that doesn't mean it's true for anyone else.”

“Good or bad, words have an impact on each of us. As a writer, I can only hope that the effects my words have on others are more often good than bad.”