Work for most people is really very social, and the actual thinking is often done in community.

Perhaps that is why the novel flourished in England. You had these communities that would stay put and people would see one another all the time and cause one another to change and have the opportunity to observe the changes over time.

I love Chekhov. I could go on all day about him.

There’s no right way to tell all stories, only the right way to tell a particular story.

The beauty of a fragment is that it still supports the hope of brilliant completeness.

Everything has to be pulling weight in a short story for it to be really of the first order.

Because I don't have to be careful of people's feelings when I teach literature, and I do when I'm teaching writing.