It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your mind, strength, and will, if you don't feel joy and excitement while writing it, then you're wasting good white paper, even if it sells, because there are other ways in which a writer can bring in the rent money besides writing bad or phony stories.

I took the route favoured by all worldly failures and became a spiritual success.

If you brought up Joyce twice, you would not be invited back.

In general, though, one should never forget the role money plays in shaping the writer’s life, and the life inevitably informs the work. My own position is that I always want to convince a publisher to give me adequate money for what I want to do. At the same time, what I want to do is to arrive at full expression in a way that seduces, that pleases people in a way they didn’t expect to be pleased, or even want to be pleased.

I think the low emotional moments happen for every author. This is the time to find a sturdy mental ballast & realize self-doubt storms pass--you know, the same way hurricanes do.

Sometimes, I'm afraid I fall short of words. But then, He reminds me of the Word within.

Sometimes, I'm afraid I fall short of words. But then, He reminds me of the Word within me.

Quand on vend ses livres, on ouvre sa vie à tellement de gens qu'on peut parfois oublier que l'écriture est un sacerdoce solitaire, une vocation du vide.

A humorist is a writer who’s not funny enough to call themselves a comedian.

I’m a Best-Selling author and humorist; my brother points out that a humorist is a writer who’s not funny enough to call themselves a comedian. Gotta love family.