I imagine that for some people writing is like the meticulous arrangement of action figures. Set this phrase into line here. Push this word into place – there. Nudge the noun next to it. You are bringing order to a collection. Your job is to make sure everything is at right angles and nothing falls down.
For me, writing is like the clown trick: Voilà, you pull a red scarf from your mouth. It had to come out. But it’s not a red scarf. You keep pulling as red becomes blue, then green, then gold. The scarf keeps coming (and keeps coming). When the trick finally ends after an uncomfortable length of time, you are left holding the colorful, unbroken flow of something entirely unexpected.
