How do you describe what writing a novel is like? Here’s E.L. Doctorow’s version:
Some say writing is similar to riding a bike: you start out slow and wobbly, but then you get the hang of it. I take issue with that one. Writing my first book was a breeze compared to my third. So for me, writing is definitely not like sailing gleefully down the street on a two-wheeler. Another author likened it to making a puzzle: you create the pieces—characters, setting, plot, etc.—then fit them together in a complete story, thus solving the puzzle, too. There’s something to that, I suppose. I feel a touch of joy in simply working on a manuscript, even when my own puzzle has me stumped, until the moment when the pieces fall into place.
Here’s what one of today’s most popular writers says:
I agree with all of the above, except the bike analogy, because even now, on some days, it feels like I have completely forgotten how to write.
February 8, 2022
Originally published on The Stiletto Gang
