I always say I'm certain I changed 'Watchmen' less than the Coen brothers changed 'No Country for Old Men.' I'm certain of it. But you don't hear the Cormac McCarthy fans like up in arms about it. They should be. It's like an amazing Pulitzer Prize-winning book.

I thought after the Pulitzer at least nothing will surprise me quite that much in my life. And another one happened. It was quite amazing.

The daily act of writing remains as demanding and maddening as it was before and the pleasure you get from writing - rare but profound - remains at the true heart of the enterprise. On their best days writers all over the world are winning Pulitzers all alone in their studios with no one watching.