One Thing That I Discovered About Myself

My First Job Is To Write A Book That I Believe Is Compelling And Deserves The Long Sustained Attention That Any Novel Requires, And To Worry About The Commerce Only Late In The Game.

The Thing Is, For Me, As A Fiction Writer, I Don't Think There's A Finer Testament To Our Lives Than This Thing That's Being Spurned - The Emotional Intelligence, The Ethics, The Beauty. It's All There. It's All So Fully Contained In A Novel That Succeeds. But At The Same Time, I Understand The Impulse To Put Away Childish Things.

I Think Comedy Is So Much Easier To Do On The Page Than It Is In Real Life. When I'm Writing, Comedy Is An Easy Way To Win Over The Reader. You're Automatically More Disposed To Keep Reading, Thinking Maybe, "i'll Get Another Laugh Or Two." I Think It's A Survival Instinct In Me. I Mean, You Don't Want To Lose These Guys Within Five Or Ten Pages. You Want Them To Keep Going. I Think To Some Extent It's A Desperate Measure That I Throw Out There, Because A Novel Isn't A Complete Waste Of Time If It Made You Laugh.

I Come From A Very Illustrious Line Of Divorces. We Love To Get Divorced In My Family. My Mother And Father Have Been Married Four Times Each - Eight Ceremonies With The Best Of Intentions.

It Is Forgivable To Say Nothing Out Of Ignorance; It's Inexcusable To Remain Silent Once Awareness Dawns.