"I am a writer and always was; being a writer is an integral part of my identity. Being published, being well regarded, is a component of that identity."

"I can't help believing that these things that come from the subconscious mind have a sort of truth to them. It may not be a scientific truth, but it's psychological truth."

"Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem."

"When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults."

"Civilization is the distance man has placed between himself and his excreta."

"Keep violence in the mind where it belongs."

"Science fiction is no more written for scientists that ghost stories are written for ghosts."

"Feedback is a pleasant thing. I get a lot of letters from unexpected people in unexpected places."

"It is comparatively easy to become a writer; staying a writer, resisting formulaic work, generating one's own creativity - that's a much tougher matter."