“Had my credentials been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”
Joan Didion
Why I Write
New York Times Book Review
1976
I think this is a great observation about the importance of talking things out. And I think writing is a way to talk it out, to ourselves. And then afterwards, if it turns out to make sense, share it with others too.
Actually it’s better than talking, because we have to be schematic about it; structured, and make sense quickly and clearly, because it’s a monologue form rather than a conversation.
And retaining your listener is so much harder when they can’t participate. You really have to work hard to convince them to stick with you.