I turn sentences around. That's my life. I write a sentence and then I turn it around. Then I look at it and I turn it around again. Then I have lunch. Then I come back in and write another sentence. Then I have tea and turn the new sentence around. Then I read the two sentences over and turn them both around. Then I lie down on my sofa and think. Then I get up and throw them out and start from the beginning.
I thought I'd share Philip Roth's neat description of the writer's life with you. It comes from his book The Ghost Writer (a must read, if you haven't already). Working at that level of detail would drive you mad in the end, but it gives you an idea of the hard graft involved in getting something right. If I were to add a postscript to his perfect summary it would be, the next day I put it to one side and work on something different, because this can be an antidote to the obsessive compulsive tendencies of the writing life -- a breath of fresh air, a different perspective.
Roth's dry take on the author's existence is a bracing thought with which to start the New Year: it speaks of focus and dedication and a meticulousness that is essential if your work is to succeed. While trying not to get too bogged down in the detail, make sure you refine and refine and then refine again.
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