Perhaps in a search for some kind of perspective on the writing process, or more likely just as procrastination, I Googled the phrase “writing a novel is like” to see what came up. Here are a few of the results.

Writing a novel is like…

  • running a marathon or engaging in a protracted battle.
  • a marriage.
  • a long, rich marriage.
  • being married to a woman you're not too happy with. (Norman Mailer)
  • that.
  • driving a car at night. You never see further than your own headlights but you can make the whole trip that way. (E.L. Doctorow)
  • diving into the deep end.
  • being pregnant.
  • giving birth to a child.
  • being Bugs Bunny running off a cliff.
  • taking a journey by boat.
  • setting out on a vast, uncharted ocean.
  • swimming.
  • wading out to sea to drown. (Anne Beattie)
  • any other job.
  • a one-armed man trying to nail together a chicken coop in a hurricane. (Faulkner)
  • playing ODIs???????