Here’s another thing that’s ridiculous: “I’m going to write the Great American Novel. So I’m going to pay quiet attention my whole life, think about what novel I would write, and how I would write a novel, and then write it.”
There’s an interesting account (published in the NY Times) that Harper Lee’s editor Tay Hohoff actually extensively rewrote her original draft and basically is more responsible for the actual narrative arc than Harper Lee herself.
In any case, maybe John Kennedy Toole is a better example.
That sounds like a great plan!
Hey, it worked for Harper Lee, didn’t it?
There’s an interesting account (published in the NY Times) that Harper Lee’s editor Tay Hohoff actually extensively rewrote her original draft and basically is more responsible for the actual narrative arc than Harper Lee herself.
In any case, maybe John Kennedy Toole is a better example.