Art is man's distinctly human way of fighting death.
I do have fun writing, and a long time ago, I told myself, 'You got to have fun at this, or it'll drive you nuts. '
I always felt, you don’t have a good time doin crime, you may as well find a job.
I focus on characters as individuals with attitudes and write each scene from a particular character's point of view. That way, even narrative passages take on the character's sound. I don't want the reader to be aware of me, writing.
I don't believe in writer's block or waiting for inspiration. If you're a writer, you sit down and write.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
I've quit writing screenplay [adaptations]. It's too much work. I don't look at writing a novel as work, because I only have to please myself. I have a good time sitting here by myself, thinking up situations and characters, getting them to talk - it's so satisfying. But screenwriting's different. You might think you're writing for yourself, but there are too many other people to please.
California lacks a lot of the rules and restrictions the East has. Every house is a different style, different material, different color. There's a lot of craziness out there
Every true, eternal problem is an equally true, eternal fault; every answer an atonement, every realisation an improvement.
I tried documentaries. It wasn't the time for me. I was going to try to do the same thing, I did make a valiant attempt but it did not work - to do the same thing with documentaries that we had done with the book club [in 2011]. The zeitgeist wasn't ready. It just wasn't ready.
God needs no worship, no praise, no thanksgiving. It is man himself who needs the benefit to be derived from these activities.