I think precision in writing goes hand in hand with not trying to say everything. You try and say two-thirds, so the reader will involve himself or herself.

Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.

I don't see novels ending with any real sense of closure.

It's a responsibility of the writer to get the reader out of the story somehow.

There's a lot of thievery involved in writing. You're breaking into other people's spaces and other people's stories.

Snap. Lady with dog. Lady on sofa half-naked. Snap. Naked lady. Lady next to dresser. Lady at window. Snap. Lady on balcony sunlight. (On New Orleans photographer E. J. Bellocq)

Moments before sleep are when she feels most alive, leaping across fragments of the day, bringing each moment into the bed with her like a child with schoolbooks and pencils. The day seems to have no order until these times, which are like a ledger for her, her body full of stories and situations.