Magical discovery, mundane craft
Don Murray, Dinty Moore & E.L. Doctorow on discovery in writing. Writers who admit to having more than a hunch as they launch a new essay, story, or book nevertheless are often paradoxical in their advice about initial composition: they may have a plan before writing, a sketchy outline and a destination—even the exact ending, word for word—but say their powerful material is discovered en route as they veer into the intuitive realm of the brain. Perhaps it is simply that, as …