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I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don't understand, in allowing us to make sense of our lives, in allowing us to escape our lives, in giving us empathy and in creating the world that we live in.

Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories.

The stories we tell about each other matter very much. The stories we tell ourselves about our own lives matter. And most of all, I think the way that we participate in each other's stories is of deep importance.

I think understanding your life as a story is a really terrific way of kind of knowing where you are and knowing who you are.

No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words.

Stories and narratives are one of the most powerful things in humanity. They're devices for dealing with the chaotic danger of existence.

In my family, telling stories is just a way of life.

Sometimes, a writer's life alone can tell a story.

All stories should have some honesty and truth in them, otherwise you're just playing about.

Though my stories aren't autobiographical, I do sometimes use things from my life.