Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much you feel so guilty.

When I'm writing I'm constantly thinking about myself because it's the only experience I have to draw on. And I don't see an exact reflection of myself in every face in the audience but I know that my songs have validity to them and that's why the fans are there.

When I'm writing I'm trying to immerse myself in the chaos of an emotional experience rather than separate myself from it and look back at it from a distance with clarity and tell it as a story. Because that's how life is lived you know?

Directing is a more pragmatic experience where you have to deal with the restrictions of time and money that force you to make certain decisions you don't have to make when you're writing.

The act of writing... is the act of trying to understand why my opinion is what it is. And ultimately I think that's the same experience the reader has when they pick up one of my books.

I have a mess in my head sometimes and there's something very satisfying about putting it into words. Certainly it's not something that you're in charge of necessarily but writing about it putting it into your words can be a very powerful experience.

I enjoy writing but I much prefer the experience of having written.

Well my background is journalism. I don't have any creative-writing experience except for one class I took as a sophomore in college.

Writing a story or a novel is one way of discovering sequence in experience of stumbling upon cause and effect in the happenings of a writer's own life.

Writing a novel is a terrible experience during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.