Foundation, subject and final touch

Some months ago, I read an interview to Ringo Starr. I don’t remember the exact words he said, but the concept beyond his words rang particularly true to me. Basically, he mentioned how, comparing a song to a painting, his personal contribution felt very similar to the foundation of the painting, whereas the rest of the band took care of the subject as well as of the final touches. I think writing works in a similar way, though all in the hands of a single person who lays the foundation, develops the subject, then gives the final touch to the whole structure once it’s over. Yet, the process may not be as straightforward as it may seem. One of the most fascinating and scary things about writing is the simultaneous occurrence of different layers: foundation, subject and even final touches may all be there hiding at the same time, waiting for you to excavate and find their raw, fragmented clay and flood their way into the page, their vital mucus watering its desert and gradually becoming voice.