Alice Sebold

I think it's an interesting thing to me, because we have this desire for everything to be explained to us. But if you go through your daily actions, very little ends up having a written-down explanation for why things happen, or why people do specific things. ”

I'm gradually working through my obsessions, and maybe, when they're all free and clear, I'll write a comedy. But I'm not there yet. ”

I wanted to be the moron of the family, because morons seemed to have more fun, more freedom and more personality. ”

In my 20s, I railed against anything 'spiritual'; I thought it was all crap. ”

It's hard, because when you talk about process or your characters ruling your narrative, it sounds like you have no control, but obviously you're ultimately the author, so you do have control. ”

Depending on where I am in the process, sometimes I have a page count and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I have an hour count; sometimes I'm just happy to string a few words together. I do keep pretty rigorous hours, because otherwise you never get anything done. ”

I find talking about my work harder than it might be if honesty wasn't my calling card. ”

I wake up very early in the morning. I like to start in the dark, and I never work at night, because my brain is evaporated by 4 P.M. ”