For Me, A Novel Is Always The

The Reaction To 'aftermath' Has Been Far Worse Than To 'a Life's Work,' Yet I Find I'm Perhaps A Little Less Touched By It. In Both Cases, I've Coped Artistically By Believing The Criticisms Weren't Right. They Upset Me, But They Didn't Challenge My Understanding Of How To Write, Nor Of How Morality Functions In Literature.

I Have No Sense Of A Model Or Predecessor When I Write A Memoir: For Me, The Form Exists As A Method Of Processing Material That Retains Too Many Connections To Life To Be Approached Strictly And Aesthetically. A Memoir Is A Risk, A One-off, A Bastard Child.

Writing, More Than Any Other Art, Is Indexed To The Worthiness Of The Self Because It Is Identified In Peoples Minds With Emotion.

There Is Always Shame In The Creation Of An Expressive Work, Whether It's A Book Or A Clay Pot. Every Artist Worries About How They Will Be Seen By Others Through Their Work. When You Create, You Aspire To Do Justice To Yourself, To Remake Yourself, And There Is Always The Fear That You Will Expose The Very Thing That You Hoped To Transform.

Divorce Also Entails The Beginning Of A Supposition That That Familial Reality Might Have Obstructed One's Ability To Perceive Others.