Home / Quotes / Quote by Donald E. Westlake

Quote by Donald E. Westlake

“I was writing everything. I grew up in Albany, New York, and I was never any farther west than Syracuse, and I wrote Westerns. I wrote tiny little slices of life, sent them off to The Sewanee Review, and they always sent them back. For the first 10 years I was published, I'd say, "I'm a writer disguised as a mystery writer." But then I look back, and well, maybe I'm a mystery writer. You tend to go where you're liked, so when the mysteries were being published, I did more of them.”

Author

Donald E. Westlake

Donald E. Westlake was an American author born on July 12, 1933, and passed away on December 31, 2008. Known for his crime and detective novels, his works have been widely appreciated by readers. more

“Science fiction is a weird category, because it's the only area of fiction I can think of where the story is not of primary importance. Science fiction tends to be more about the science, or the invention of the fantasy world, or the political allegory. When I left science fiction, I said "They're more interested in planets, and I'm interested in people."”

People Thinking World Political Fantasy Importance Science Fiction Invention Allegory

Author:Donald E. Westlake

“If your subject is crime, then you know at least that you're going to have a real story. If your subject is the maturing of a college boy, you may never stumble across a story while you're telling that. But if your story is a college boy dead in his dorm room, you know there's a story in there, someplace.”

Real Boys Crime College Mature

Author:Donald E. Westlake

“I want to show people that there's a side of myself other than just the outrageous comedian.”

People Want Shows Sides Comedian Outrageous

Author:Sam Kinison

“I have no known marketable skills.”

Author:Donald E. Westlake

“The only thing I learned from the architecture is keep the bathroom and the kitchen near each other, so you don't have to run pipes all over the place.”