PHILLIP LOPATE: Well, my ideas come from several sources. One is reading writers who I love. And so I try to imitate or steal from them as much as possible. But they may jog something that makes me want to deal with an idea. And then often when I'm puzzled about something, when I can't figure out something-- because I think that that's a great incentive to write something-- when you don't know all the answers at the beginning, when you're doubtful about something and you try to work through your doubt on the page.