Thomson Interview

I bookmarked Maud Newton’s interview with Rupert Thomson yesterday and now that the house is empty and I’m alone, I finally sat down and read it. I loved reading Thomson’s insights about his writing process:

I tend to write at least six entire drafts of a book, and sometimes as many as twelve. By a draft, I mean writing the book from beginning to end, no matter how long that takes. I will often go back and forwards as well, within a single draft. By the time I reach the third or fourth draft, I have a good idea of the final shape of the book, but I still might not have found that extra level that’s crucial if the book is to have the depth I want it to have. The best novels are like cities built on cities built on cities. Once you start digging, there’s no end to what you can discover.

The actual writing process feels a lot like sculpture. I start with something amorphous and vague — the equivalent of a piece of wood or marble — and do my best to find out what it’s supposed to be.

I feel like screaming, “I’m not alone! I’m not alone!”