A miracle to confound natural law, a baffling reversal of the inevitable consequences . . . a miracle. . . . An act of high imagination -- daring and lurid and impossible. Yes, a cartoon of the mind.

I was a coward. I went to the war.

And as a writer now, I want to save Linda's life. Not her body--her life.

A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.

But I do like churches. The way it feels inside. It feels good when you just sit there, like you're in a forest and everything's really quiet, expect there's still this sound you can't hear.

But in a story I can steal her soul.

Laughter does not deny pain. Laughter - like a wail - acknowledges and replies to pain.