The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?

- Len Wein

I realized the only thing I owed my audience was my own judgment and my own best effort.

- Len Wein

I think there's something inherently dishonest in trying to go back and mess with the past.

- Len Wein

I was a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age 7, my Dad brought me a stack of comic books to keep me occupied. I was hooked.

- Len Wein

I would like immortality.

- Len Wein

I'm a neurotic New York Jew by birth. Creating characters is second nature to me.

- Len Wein

I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt.

- Len Wein

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

- Len Wein

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

- Len Wein

I hate the crazy, neurotic characters beyond a certain point.

- Len Wein

These days, it seems that if you're not already in place, you can't get there from here.

- Len Wein

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

- Len Wein

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

- Len Wein

I've always thought of myself as an organic writer, rather than a cerebral one. I feel my way along as I go, hoping I'll get to the place I intend to reach.

- Len Wein

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.

- Len Wein

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.

- Len Wein

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.

- Len Wein

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.

- Len Wein

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.

- Len Wein

I always wanted to fire rays out of my fingertips.

- Len Wein