I Leave A Lot Out When I

And I See That Not Touching For So Long Was A Drive To The Beach With The Windows Rolled Up So The Waves Feel That Much Colder.

A Five-hour Flight Works Out To Three Days And Nights On Land, By Rail, From Sea To Shining Sea. You Can Chalk Off The Hours On The Back Of The Seat Ahead. But Seventy-some Hours Will Not Seem So Long To You If You Tell Yourself First: This Is Where I Am Going To Be For The Rest Of My Natural Life.

I've Always Known When I Start A Story What The Last Line Is. It's Always Been The Case, Since The First Story I Ever Wrote. I Don't Know How It's Going To Get There, But I Seem To Need The Destination. I Need To Know Where I End Up. It Never Changes, Ever.

I Exaggerated Even Before I Began To Exaggerate, Because It's True — Nothing Is Ever Quite As Bad As It Could Be.

An Idea Might Spark An Essay, But Never A Story.