Goodreads asked Josh Erikson:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Josh Erikson Having permission to live in my own world. Note that I didn't say "control my own world" because I don't. I don't at all understand writers who have complete mastery of their stories, like they're pouring metal into a mold. For me, it grows from a seed of an idea and the branches go where it makes the most sense for them to grow. Sometimes that means the story deviates wildly from my assumptions, and I get to be just as surprised as everyone else when that happens. I get to be the first person to watch this organic thing come to life, and that feeling rivals almost any other in my experience.

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