Re: Re: How do you write?

Every individual piece of work you write has to teach you the way to write it best, which is why good works of fiction take so long to write and revise. Much of the time involved in the creation of a book goes into learning how to write it best, and by the time you're through you'll ideally have it figured out. If you only have one way to write, you'll be like an athlete who has only one move, and your imagination simply won't be fertile. I find that every project I embark upon requires its own unique blend of humility and bravado; I have to be ballsy enough to believe I can pull of the story that's in my imagination, yet humble enough to realize that I'm not going to get it anywhere near right on my first try. At that point I'm just getting to know my characters, know the unique voice of the piece, know where I'm taking short cuts and making lazy moves that mask the best opportunities for getting deeper into my story. So although all writers have fundamental baseline habits, flexibility and the ability to re-learn how to write with every piece you take on is crucial to staying fresh and not being bored by your own work.