When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.

What makes a story is how well it manages to connect with the reader, the visceral effect it has.

When I got my first glimpse of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, my breath caught. In that single instant, he was Wolverine.

You can read a dozen different textbooks or how-to manuals that will tell you the basic rules of what makes a story - a beginning, a middle, and an end.

When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics.

There is an ancient legend which warns that, should we ever learn our true origin, our universe will instantly be destroyed.

In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home.

In these litigious times, if you're a beginner, it's becoming harder and harder to get your work to the people who might actually be able to hire you.

It's all about who's where on the food chain. When I'm the story editor, I expect my writers to follow my vision. When I'm working for another editor, I'm obliged to follow their vision.

People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the sake of a story.

Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.

Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback.

Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.

The most unrealistic thing I've ever read in comics is when some group of characters calls themselves the Brotherhood of Evil or the Masters of Evil. I don't believe any character believes their goals to be truly evil.

If a story isn't working, I'm simply unable to finish it. That's what usually tells me something is wrong.