Writers have to be careful not to confuse personal attention with the attention that's going towards the book.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The fact is that in this day and age I don't think any novelist can assume that a book will get attention.
People forget that writers start off being readers. We all love it when we find a terrific read, and we want to let people know about it.
I'm very troubled when editors oblige their film critics to read the novel before they see the film. Reading the book right before you see the film will almost certainly ruin the film for you.
I know when I go and see a writer, the first thing I think to myself is, 'Are they the character in the book?' You just can't help it; it's the way people are.
Personally I don't like it when writers become excessively proscriptive about the way that people read their books.
Point of view gets me. If I can feel like a character rather than a reader, I'll read that book.
The writer's job is to let the books speak for themselves eventually.
If the book is a mystery to its author as she's writing, inevitably it's going to be a mystery to the reader as he or she reads it.
A reader should encounter themselves in a novel, I think.
Writing novels preserves you in a state of innocence - a lot passes you by - simply because your attention is otherwise diverted.