Sometimes, that’s how I feel. I get an idea and, often, it seems to come from outside myself, from one of my characters. Stay with me. I don’t have multiple personality disorder, promise. I don’t hear voices. But, really, I couldn’t tell you how my novels or stories get written. I mean, I could tell you how I make a deal to sit and write/edit for a half hour every day (or whatever amount of time is realistic based on how busy life is). I could tell you the logistics of it, but I couldn’t tell you how the story arc comes to be, how one idea leads to the next, how I figure out the ending. It just happens, almost in spite of my hesitations. I’m convinced 90% of writing a novel is subconscious. Only 10% of it is the conscious choice of putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard). I’m compelled by my characters–by their controversial choices, their internal turmoils, their everydayness and their drama. I would say, “they make me write,” but that sounds kind of nuts. Here’s what Anne Lamont has to say on the subject:
