I Get Interviewed A Lot, And I

Many A Young Person Tells Me He Wants To Be A Writer. I Always Encourage Such People, But I Also Explain That There's A Big Difference Between Being A Writer And Writing. In Most Cases These Individuals Are Dreaming Of Wealth And Fame, Not The Long Hours Alone At The Typewriter. You've Got To Want To Write, I Say To Them, Not Want To Be A Writer. The Reality Is That Writing Is A Lonely, Private And Poor-paying Affair. For Every Writer Kissed By Fortune, There Are Thousands More Whose Longing Is Never Requited. Even Those Who Succeed Often Know Long Periods Of Neglect And Poverty. I Did.

Roots Is Not Just A Saga Of My Family. It Is The Symbolic Saga Of A People.

The Main Thing You Got To Remember Is That Everything In The World Is A Hustle.

Tying The Little Folks With The Older Folks Is A Great And Powerful Tool To Preserve And To Protect The Family And The Individual.

I Tell Younger Writers That Indeed It Is Devastating To Be Rejected. You Feel Like The Bottom Dropped Out Of Your World.