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It's basically an act of faith, hoping that a small idea will unspool into a bigger whole. Sometimes, in fact often, it doesn't and it just runs out o...more

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Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.

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I read daily, not so much for the benefit of my writing, but because I am addicted to it. There is nothing in the world for me that compares to being ...more

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I see a creative process as a necessarily thievish undertaking. Dig beneath a beautiful piece of writing, Monsieur Boustouler, and you will find all m...more

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Nothing came out. Suddenly I was hovering, looking down on myself from above.

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A creative writing teacher at San Jose State used to say about clichés: 'Avoid them like the plague.' Then he'd laugh at his own joke. The class laugh...more