Tell a female she's thin and she's yours for life.

There's a sureness to good writing even when what's being written about doesn't make all that much sense. It's the sureness of the so-called seat of an accomplished horseback rider or a sailor coming about in a strong wind. The words have both muscle and grace, familiarity and surprise.

I can’t remember how many times I advised students to stop writing the sunny hours and write from where it hurts: No one wants to read polite. It puts them to sleep.

It sounds shameful, but on my best days I write only about three or four hours.

Publishers never tell writers anything. They're all crazy and they drive me crazy.