“A big reason why I started writing is, I felt that fiction had stopped evolving. All other entertainments were getting better, constantly, as technology allowed. Movies. Video games. Music. And as their audiences became more sophisticated, these other media could experiment and risk trying new story-telling methods. Imagine a silent-movie audience watching Gummo. Still, it seemed that fiction was a little stuck… The bright future is that readers are accepting more varied forms of stories. And books have the freedom to portray topics that movies and music never could —- because their success relies on attracting a huge broadcast audience. This combination of “sophisticated reader” and “freedom” will give future writers their advantage. Again, there is no “best” style for writing – minimalist, modernist, whatever — but you should be aware of different methods. You should have the biggest selection of techniques and devices, and know how, where and why to use them.”