We wrote about “cooking by feel,” which simply meant that the ultimate freedom in the kitchen came from learning enough basic rules and ingredient pairings to be able to cook without a recipe, to be flexible, to sense when something was finished, to pull together an easy meal with what’s seasonal or on hand. Writing is a bit like that, in a way. You study great writers and listen to your editors and learn everything you can from every job, good or bad, so that, eventually, you know how to bend the rules to find your own voice. You feel your way.
