What I really loved about this essay was the simple premise that you have to SEE all the details in your mind's eye, first, before you can cherry-pick and scatter and imbue the story with just enough to make it juicy and evocative.... Too much detail is boring and makes a piece feel 'over-written.' It's as if you're a detective at a crime scene NOTICING that dropped receipt under the sofa, the lipstick mark on his shirt or the discarded soda can in the trash.

I love reading about the writing process, as much as I love writing. Cos it always makes me want to edit the last thing I scribbled and to be a little better.

Much appreciation this morning from Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. Hope to meet you at SF4 in Bangkok in November. :)