"Besides, there are already plenty of novels. There is no need for a new one. One could devote one’s..."

“Besides, there are already plenty of novels. There is no need for a new one. One could devote one’s entire life to reading the work of Henry James, for instance, and never touch another novel by any other author, and never be hungry for anything else, the way one could live on nothing but multivitamin tablets and pureed root vegetables and never find oneself craving wild mushroom soup, or linguini with clam sauce, or a plain roasted chicken with lemon-zested dandelion greens, or strong black coffee, or a perfectly ripe peach, or chips and salsa, or caramel ice cream on top of poppyseed cake, or smoked salmon with capers, or aged goat cheese, or a gin gimlet, or some other startling item sprung from the imagination of some unknown cook.


In fact, think of the world of literature as an enormous meal, and your novel as some small piddling ingredient—the drawn butter, for example, served next to a large, boiled lobster. Who wants that? If it were brought to the table, surely most people would ask that it be removed post-haste.”

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Lemony Snicket, on why writing your novel (yes, yours) matters.

Happy Camp NaNoWriMo, writers, individuals, uniquely-gifted chefs.