Literature is not a sack race. There aren't real winners and losers in the Republic of Letters.
Charles BaxterTry to get your characters into interesting trouble. Allow your characters to misbehave. Let them stay out after 11.
Charles BaxterIn February, the overcast sky isnโt gloomy so much as neutral and vague. Itโs a significant factor in the common experience of depression among the locals. The snow crunches under your boots and clings to your trousers, to the cuffs, and once youโre inside, the snow clings to you psyche, and eventually you have to go to the doctor. The past soaks into you in this weather because the present is missing almost entirely.
Charles BaxterBecause it is the Midwest, no one really glitters because no one has to, it's more of a dull shine, like frequently used silverware.
Charles BaxterIf you want to see the consequences of ideas, write a story. If you want to see the consequences of belief, write a story in which somebody is acting on the ideas or beliefs that she has.
Charles BaxterEvery relationship has at least one really good day. What I mean is, no matter how sour things go, there's always that day. That day is always in your possession. That's the day you remember. You get old and you think: well, at least I had that day. It happened once. You think all the variables might just line up again. But they don't. Not always. I once talked to a woman who said, "Yeah, that's the day we had an angel around.
Charles Baxter