Brief Summary: Abbott discusses his method and approach to writing stories, placing especial emphasis on the role of character in fiction. He discusses his interest in writing from a very young age, telling about having rewritten Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in 11th grade. Abbott also discusses the value of MFA programs in writing, the influence of southern New Mexico in his work, and the influence of extensive reading in his youth.

Work(s) Discussed:

• "The Final Proof of Fate and Circumstance"
• "Love and the Hurt of It"
• "The Heart Never Fits Its Wanting"

Work(s) Read:

• "Time and Fear and Sometimes Love"
• "Be Free, Die Young"
• "Speech of the Oracular Kind"

Writers mentioned:

• Faulkner
• James
• Fitzgerald
• Nabokov

I'm one of those writers who believes the reader shouldn't do any work at all. I do all the work, that's my job.

-- Lee K. Abbott

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