I Have Lived A Thousand Lives Lost

When People Say They Write For Themselves, That's Probably What They Do. I Will Admit That I Don't Write For Myself; I Write To Be Read. I've Got The Reader In My Mind All The Time.

You Hope That People Read Your Book And Say "yes, This Is The Way It Is Or Could Be." But Then You Have No Way Of Knowing Until The Reader Reads The Book. Actually, The Critical Response Doesn't Worry Me. I've Had Very Few Reviews That Have Upset Me.

People Always Ask Me About The Role Models That I'm Providing For Kids, And I Say I Can't Be Concerned With That. I'm Not Worrying About Corrupting Youth. I'm Worrying About Writing Realistically And Truthfully To Affect The Reader.

They Don't Actually Want You To Do Your Own Thing, Not Unless It's Their Thing Too.

The Beautiful Part Of Writing Is That You Don't Have To Get It Right The First Time, Unlike, Say, A Brain Surgeon. You Can Always Do It Better, Find The Exact Word, The Apt Phrase, The Leaping Simile.