Here, kill your afternoon with a fantastic interview with the inimitable George Saunders, over at Bomblog.

As far as the “impulse to create”—what comes to mind is something like this. Say you were standing in a group of people, and nearby some guys were throwing a Frisbee around, and suddenly one of them misthrew, and here it comes now, right over your head—that impulse to jump up and catch it is similar to what I feel when I’m writing. Why did you jump? Not to “honor the Frisbee” or “make a connection with the thrower” or “serve as the conduit/recipient of the Frisbee’s symbolic journey, blah blah blah.” You did it…well, who knows why, really? Partly the motivation is a “because it’s there” kind of thing. You start a story and in rereading it, see a place where it could be made better. Well, why not?

He is the best. Just the best. (I file him in mental company with Sam Lipsyte and Aimee Bender—authors whose every interview just reinforces an impression of humorousness and generosity of spirit.)

(Big tip of the hat to Blogtown's resident Cylon holocaust denier Tony Perez.
)