For me, having characters who are part of a faith then allows me to talk about how that faith either works or fails them without having to attack the institution.

More Quotes by Alice McDermott

I like that original romance of having a pen and a legal pad and going anywhere in the world and being able to write a novel with just those two things.

Family dynamics are true over time, across generations and different cultures.

I am trying to cultivate the notion that constantly misplacing one's cell phone is a charming eccentricity... my children aren't buying it.

I'm a novelist. I'm not a crusader, and I'm not an editorial writer. And I'm not writing fiction to convince anybody of anything.

I was the youngest; I had two imperious older brothers - I didn't get to often complete sentences at the dinner table. So writing was a way of saying what nobody asked me to say.

I love a well-plotted story. But I'm just not that kind of writer, and it's not necessarily by choice. When I manipulate plot, I feel I lose authenticity.