So, I heard a bit of Bob Edwards interviewing Tobias Wolff and, like most things writing, became keenly interested. I'll own up to the fact that I've never read one sentence by Wolff. He has two novels and bunches of short stories so I'll probably have to read some now. I like his takes on writing. The first is, "There is no perfect novel," a sentiment I arrived at years ago.

Liked this excerpt of Wolff's from an interview with Continuum as well:

Q: What do you like least about writing?

A: Most of all is the feeling of dread that I have. I always have another cup of coffee first. There's an initial sense of frustration. And if you're lucky, you'll experience a self-forgetfulness as you begin to write. All that dreadful anticipation will lift. And you'll be in communion with another person than that person who worries and frets and whose attention is on the wrong details. You'll be in a larger kind of mind than is your usual habit.
That's why we write. It isn't just for the product of the story or the novel, but it's actually for the experience of that bliss that you sometimes do have when you write, as you're somehow transported or elevated. So that's what keeps you going back. It comes to you free, at first, and then you have to work for it.

Started reading Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris while on vacation. Compelling. Good to have Harris back in Silence of the Lambs form. Quick, powerful prose that leaves the imagination filling in the gaps. Much better than Hannibal, which I found excessive. Why did Hannibal become the Cannibal? A single picture from the movie adaptation explains, I believe.