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I knew I wanted to write novels, but I could not finish what I started. The closer I got, the more ways I'd find to screw it up.

But at the same time, I have trouble keeping things out of books, which is why I don't write short stories because they turn into novels.

I'm not the most prolific writer in the world, and, sadly, writing a novel involves a lot of effort.

When you're my age and you see a story, you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more novels under my belt.

Novels, in my experience, are slow in coming, and once I've begun them I know I have years rather than months of work ahead of me.

I can write for a long time on one novel and not get tired.

I tend to write longer narrative pieces after I've finished writing a novel - when the fiction's finished and put away, and I have a chance to take all the ideas that are buried inside of my novels and work with them directly.

I always tell my students, 'If you walk around with your eyes and ears open, you can't possibly live long enough to write all the novels you'll encounter.'

I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off.