Having the urge to write a novel, especially if you've yet to be published, is like having a medical condition impossible to mention in polite company - it's a relief simply to know there are fellow-sufferers out there.
Interpretation
Writing a novel can feel isolating and burdensome, yet knowing others share this struggle can be comforting.
In this quote, Robert Harris compares the desire to write a novel to a discreet medical condition, suggesting that the longing and challenges faced by aspiring authors are often taboo or difficult to discuss openly. The relief of knowing that others experience similar struggles fosters a sense of camaraderie among writers, making the journey feel less lonely and more validating.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a writer's workshop to encourage aspiring authors.
If one tries to think about history, it seems to me - it's like looking at a range of mountains. And the first time you see them, they look one way. But then time changes, the pattern of light shifts. Maybe you've moved slightly, your perspective has changed. The mountains are the same, but they look very different.
To tell a good story and to illuminate the world: the two things are completely linked. That is the point. That is what I've always wanted to do.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
It's wonderful to see art in a museum, but it is institutionalised. I don't like the idea of the artwork as something that requires special conditions. I would like it to be universal.
Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. ... I have 10 or so, and thats a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.
I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.
With vocal and choral music, first and foremost, it's the text. Not only do I need to serve the text, but the text - when I'm doing it right - acts as the perfect 'blueprint', and all the architecture is there. The poet has done the heavy lifting, so my job is to find the soul of the poem and then somehow translate that into music.
One must die to life in order to be utterly a creator.
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