How to write a book. A memoir of the craft (№ 464697)

Gould said something else that was interesting to me on the day of my first two notes: write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your writing begins for yourself, in other words, but then it goes out into the world. When you understand what a thing is and do it right - at least as best you can - it belongs to everyone who wants to read it. Or criticize. If you are very lucky (this is my idea, but I think John Gould would have subscribed to it), there will be more of the former than the latter.