"I never started from ideas but always from character..." — Ivan Turgenev Before I sit down to write a story, I need the main character clearly in mind. Like every other writer, it's important for me to know my characters well—so that when I place them in certain situations, I understand how they will react. Understanding real people in depth is difficult; few of those around us are open books. We all have our secrets. The great thing about fictional characters is that the writer knows all...

‘Stories ought to leave the reader with a great sense of strangeness and mystery, but never a feeling of frustration.’ Raymond Carver As a writer, I’m shaped by strange catalysts— things that affect and inspire my writing, the forces that shape both my process and my subject matter. Music and alcohol affect the way I write most profoundly. I never edit my work when I’m under the influence of alcohol, or while listening to music. I seek their effect when I am searching for the next psychotic...