If the writing doesn't flow I do some deep breathing and sometimes I lie on the floor and think about nothing for a few minutes. I give my mind some space to fool around and permission to make mistakes. If you're quiet and open, then ideas and inspirations come more easily from the unconscious.

I ask myself, "What would Angelina do at this moment? What is she feeling?" If you know your character inside out, the prompts will come naturally. And of course having a deadline is a wonderful prompt!

I lived in Rome in the early 70s, and landed my first job as a 'stringer' for Variety, the showbiz magazine. Stringers were paid peanuts, but the editor sent me off to interview stars like Visconti, Dirk Bogarde, and Mastroanni, which was thrilling. As a recent Bennington lit graduate, I took my writing very seriously, and received a big shock when Variety's crusty editor told me to tear everything up and start again. "Kid, if you're gonna be a writer, you gotta be prepared to rewrite lots!" he said. Those words have stayed with me over the years, and have kept me writing.