Self-disciplin e is necessary, but so is playfulness, flexibility, joy. When you stop demanding perfection of yourself, your writing desk will become a spacious place.

I moved to New York with the derangement of love. I was writing all these terrible stories, but I had never been happier.

I do think that I have a more flexible view of the interactions between people, and between human and non-human protagonists, humans and their landscapes.

Whenever someone asks me about fantasy versus realism, I'm like, "I don't know, guys. Did we not all just descend into some underworld, watch strangers from our past kaleidoscope through us according to some pattern that is both illogical and has its own strange melting truth, and then wake up and have a Pop-Tart?" Why are we talking about fantasy and reality like they're opposed?

For me, the term "literary fiction" means there's always attention paid to language, and linguistic experimentation, sophistication.

There are certain prehistoric things that swim beyond extinction.

You don't want people to think you're just writing stories for children about a pig in a tutu.