Throw up into your typewriter every morning. Clean up every noon.

In writing a novel, when in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns.

A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all. In the end he knows all of the tricks and has nothing to say.

The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.

Everything written with vitality expresses that vitality; there are no dull subjects, only dull minds.

The most durable thing in writing isstyle. It is a projection of personality and you haveto have a personality before you can project it. Itis the product of emotion and perception.

I needed a drink. I needed a lot of life insurance. I needed a vacation. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun.

The dilemma of the critic has always been that if he knows enough to speak with authority, he knows too much to speak with detachment."(A Qualified Farewell)