"I write the last line, and then I write the line before that. I find myself writing backwards for a while, until I have a solid sense of how that ending sounds and feels. You have to know what your voice sounds like at the end of the story, because it tells you how to sound when you begin."

"Good habits are worth being fanatical about."

"More than a half, maybe as much as two-thirds of my life as a writer is rewriting. I wouldn't say I have a talent that's special. It strikes me that I have an unusual kind of stamina."

"The building of the architecture of a novel - the craft of it - is something I never tire of."

"He who seeks peace must remember that a mind at peace can weather any storm."

"The worlds I paint leave a lot to engage the imagination by hinting at what lies beyond the four edges of the painting. I think getting beyond the four edges of an opportunity or challenge is one of the basic skills you need in business."

"I think all the stuff that happens before the pictures are taken is much more exciting."

"You have to be willing to accept the idea that people may think you're stupid."