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Everything can be going well, but if I'm not writing, I'm not happy. When I'm writing well, I'm like a different person.

I am always writing. It is not always good, but if I am writing, I am usually happy.

Although I think I'm relatively happy as a person, I think there's something unhappy at the root of all my writing. I'd say optimistic but unhappy. Nothing that's particularly original, other than that we're going to live and die, and terrible things happen.

I'm not happy when I'm writing, but I'm more unhappy when I'm not.

I find writing the darker side, writing tragedy, a lot easier than writing happiness. Happiness is just less psychologically compelling, isn't it?

Much unhappiness comes from walking alone. When there are several, it's somewhat different. I must get into the habit of listening to others, for what the others say concerns me, too.

I'm never more miserable than when I write, and never more happy than having finished and having it sitting in front of me.

Well, the attractive thing about the subject of happiness is that it is notoriously difficult to write.

I don't know that happy people are interesting to write about - or to read about.

I often think you bring unhappiness on yourself, because if you don't like yourself very much, you allow yourself to be influenced by people who reinforce that.