There's a sense in all my novels that nothing is certain.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The only certainty is that nothing is certain.
In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain.
To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.
But novels are never about what they are about; that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The author may not be aware of this till she is pretty far along with it.
Part of writing a novel is being willing to leap into the blackness. You have very little idea, really, of what's going to happen. You have a broad sense, maybe, but it's this rash leap.
Most everything that happens to me in any significant sense finds its way into my fiction.
I found some time ago that I have to be careful, while working on a novel, what I read.
Without sounding overly pompous about it, I don't really trust certainty in anything, actually. Especially as I get older. Except love. I'm certain of love, I guess.
We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand.
I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books.