The Shock of Every Writer's Life.
from The Elegant Variation, posted over 3 years ago
Over a year ago, in a conversation with my editor, I confessed that I'd been struggling -- really struggling -- with the second novel. �I speculated that this could have something to do with the publication of the first novel, and the new & unprecedented feeling of paralyzing terror at the thought of sitting down to write. �
The next day, a copy of the Paris Review Interviews (Volume 3) arrived at my door, with this Ted Hughes exchange bookmarked. �My editor really is a genius.
When asked, "How has criticism of your work affected you or your poetry?" �Ted Hughes responds:
I think it's the shock of every writer's life when their first book is published. �The shock of their lives. �One has somehow to adjust from being anonymous, a figure in ambush, working from concealment, to being and working in full public view. �It had an...
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