People who don't normally read make an exception for my books, possibly because they're short.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
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.
There are people out there who will not read books, but somehow they'll read my books.
I have always been an obsessive reader - I remember going back and forth to the local library with stacks of books taller than I was.
I think people seem to want to read pieces that are shorter but not as short as the pieces they can read in small bites on the Internet. It may be that the sort of long essays are hitting a sweet spot between the tiny morsels online and the full-length book.
Books are my weakness.
My perfect reader doesn't just read - he or she devours books.
If my books appear to a reader to be oversimplified, then you shouldn't read them: You're not the audience!
The funny thing is, I'm not really a big reader, not a big fan of books in the first place.
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 could never write a book where the point-of-view character was a short person, because I just can't imagine what that's like.