I Think A Lot Of

I Worked More Intensively Hour After Hour When I Was Starting Out [writing]. More Laboriously. I'd Say Quantity Is Important As Well As Quality, And If You're Not Producing Enough, Make A Schedule And Stick To It.

I Attempt All Day, At Work, Not To Think About What Lies Ahead, But This Costs Me So Much Effort That There Is Nothing Left For My Work. I Handle Telephone Calls So Badly That After A While The Switchboard Operator Refuses To Connect Me. So I Had Better Say To Myself, Go Ahead And Polish The Silverware Beautifully, Then Lay It Out Ready On The Sideboard And Be Done With It. Because I Polish It In My Mind All Day Long—this Is What Torments Me (and Doesn't Clean The Silver).

The Style Developed Over Decades, Really, But I Started Out Writing Pretty Traditional Stories, Then Became Impatient. It Was A Writer Named Russell Edson Who Showed Me That One Could Write In Any Way At All.

I Think The Close Work I Do As A Translator Pays Off In My Writing - I'm Always Searching For Multiple Ways To Say Things.

To Be Simple, I Would Say A Story Has To Have A Bit Of Narrative, If Only "she Says," And Then Enough Of A Creation Of A Different Time And Place To Transport The Reader.