Writing women...that question again! The woman I have known-- a strong grandmother, a strong mother, two strong wives, good women friends-- have contributed nothing I can see reflected in the characters I write about. I am a fiction writer, which to my thinking means that my primary responsibility is making up a character who is more complete and motivated and understandable that any so-called real person I know. I don't rely on real people for my novels. If I ever had, I would have been sued. More importantly, the people I know aren't interesting enough to put in my novels. This is no insult to the people I know; I mean simply that people in novels, in my novels, anyway, have to have more interesting and complex and troubled lives than most of the people I know.
What would it mean to you to win an Academy Award?
I think being nominated for an Oscar is more important than winning one. I was nominated by my peers, by other screenwriters. The entire Academy-- actors, directors, producers, etc.-- will vote for who wins. How meaningful is it to be nominated? Very! The seven nominations for THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, most importantly Best Picture and Best Director, mean that the broadest possible audience will see the film. That is hugely gratifying-- especially in light of the fact that it took fourteen years to get the film made. Of course, I would like to win an Oscar-- who wouldn't? But the honor to be in the company of five best (in any category) is irrecplaceable. I am very proud of the nomination. I am looking forward to the event itself. At my age-- and given that my day job is being a novelist-- I can't expect to ever get to be there again. I've written nine novels, have almost finished a tenth. I've written three screenplays, but THE CIDER HOUSE RULES is the first to be produced. It's a thrill and a privilege to go the the Oscars.
If you could meet with any three living individuals, who would they be?
I don't wish to meet any living individuals. I know enough people already. I am always happy to meet other writers. Of course, it's nice to meet people who've done remarkable things, but I'm not sure how valuable it is. I mean, of course, it's fun. I met Kirk Douglas recently, and I loved that-- we are both members in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, we have that in common, and I have always admired him as an actor. I enjoyed having lunch with Charlton Heston recently. While we are politically far apart (in most people's eyes), we were on common ground on the issue of abortion rights-- we both believe in them. That was interesting. I just don't think about this question of meeting people. I meet enough people.
What is your definition of fiction? At what point does something autobiographical have to be altered, in your mind, to be fiction?
I don't think autobiographical fiction is interesting because it is so very limited. I imagine big novels. Period. If there are autobiographical details (mostly small things) that I can use, I will use them, but they're not ever what's important in my novels. The whole autobiographical question bores me.
