When You Die It's The End Of

I Was Shot In The Wrist When I Was A Kid. Deliberately.

Farm Country -- You Know, Hay, Horses, Cattle. It's The Ideal Situation For Me. I Like The Physical Endeavors That Go With The Farm -- Cutting Hay, Cleaning Out Stalls, Or Building A Barn. You Go Do That And Then Come Back To The Writing.

The California I Knew, Old Rancho California, Is Gone. It Just Doesn't Exist, Except Maybe In Little Pockets. I Lived On The Edge Of The Mojave Desert, An Area That Used To Be Farm Country. There Were All These Fresh-produce Stands With Avocados And Date Palms. You Could Get A Dozen Artichokes For A Buck Or Something. Totally Wiped Out Now.

My Dad's Side Of The Family ... They're A Real Bizarre Bunch, Going Back To The Original Colonies. That Side's Got A Real Tough Strain Of Alcoholism. It Goes Back Generations And Generations, So That You Can't Remember When There Was A Sober Grandfather.

Being A Writer Is So Great Because You're Literally Not Dependent On Anybody. Whereas, As An Actor, You Have To Audition Or Wait For Somebody Else To Make A Decision About How To Use You, With Writing, You Can Do It Anywhere, Anytime You Want. You Don't Have To Ask Permission.