I have no idea why I write. The old standards are: I like to express my feelings, stretch my imagination, earn money.

I have no idea why I write. The old standards are: I like to express my feelings, stretch my imagination, earn money.

I think that 'The Outsiders' was meant to be written, and I was just picked to write it.

I was a 'young adult' when I wrote 'The Outsiders,' although it was not a genre at the time. It's an interesting time of life to write about, when your ideals get slammed up against reality, and you must compromise.

How a piece ends is very important to me. It's the last chance to leave an impression with the reader, the last shot at 'nailing' it. I love to write ending lines; usually, I know them first and write toward them, but if I knew how they came to me, I wouldn't tell.

Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too.