I make lists to keep my anxiety level down. If I write down 15 things to be done, I lose that vague, nagging sense that there are an overwhelming number of things to be done, all of which are on the brink of being forgotten.

I write to make sense of things that don't make sense to me.

I write for a lot of places, so I'm on a lot of promo lists.

I write a lot in my head. I've never been driven to write things down.

Most of the people I write about I'm still in touch with, so I would be loath to make up stuff about them.

There are three kinds of people in this world: 1) People who make lists, 2) People who don't make lists, and 3) People who carve tiny Nativity scenes out of pecan hulls. I'm sorry, there isn't really a third category; it's just that a workable list needs a minimum of three items, I feel.