A chaplain's biggest gift is to be present and just listen.
But novels are never about what they are about; that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The author may not be aware of this till she is pretty far along with it.
A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme.
Not having to own a car has made me realize what a waste of time the automobile is.
Women have the feeling that since they didn't make the rules, the rules have nothing to do with them.
