Writing and Loneliness

I have been thinking a lot lately about why I still write.

There’s an intense “why bother?” vibe around the publishing business. This transcends the trade-or-self argument. Maybe authors who are very successful (or successful enough to sell the next book without worrying) don’t feel this, but I suspect a lot of us look at our sales numbers, look at the landscape, see the capricious nature of what does and doesn’t provoke a larger social conversation, and wonder why we’re pouring our hearts an...