Eight Per Cent

Over breakfast my husband asked, "Maybe you can't answer this, but do you know how much of your writing is done with a view to how much anyone else may like it?"

"Eight percent," I said.

Okay, maybe it could blur over to seven or nine. I really don't know, but Peter agreed this was around what he would have guessed. Most of my writing comes from questions I pose to myself and start trying to answer. I wonder about the ordinary moments of people I admire. I pursue themes that matter to me in li...