It's funny with fiction - once you cut something, it hasn't happened anymore.

It's so ironic that you often hear these right-wing people talking about the Constitution.

We have that illusion that we are 'deciding' what to make a character do, in order to 'convey our message' or something like that. But, at least in my experience, you are often more like a river-rafting guide who's been paid a bonus to purposely steer your clients into the roughest possible water.

Whatever you love, that will be an influence. It just will. So in effect the young writer's job is: go out and find some stuff to love.

As far as which writers embody this form of gentle power - Tobias Wolff, for sure. His persona and his writing both share an easy, capacious confidence that says he has faith in his readers.

I'm very happy - if I can do even a little bit of work to get the short story out more, I'm thrilled.

With fiction, and also with nonfiction that you can take your time doing, you have a much better chance of reaching across the divide and connecting with somebody who is opposed to you on some things. They're opposed to you on one axis, which is politics, but if you go over the axis called puppies, you might find some common ground.