When I'm writing, I'm waiting to see somebody, and I'm waiting to hear them. It's almost like conjuring spirits out of the air, using your own imaginative instability.

A novel is not a summary of its plot but a collection of instances, of luminous specific details that take us in the direction of the unsaid and unseen.

Because it is the Midwest, no one really glitters because no one has to, it's more of a dull shine, like frequently used silverware.

My God, the corruptions of literature. It put all these notions into our heads.

Forget art. Put your trust in ice cream.

It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with honestly, with sufficient clarity, and detail.

Savor the imminent weirdness of the day.