179 Ways to Save a Novel

Having quotations from other authors around to inspire a writer is always helpful.  This is an extract from one of the essays by Peter Selgin in his 179 Ways to Save a Novel:

There’s another kind of genius, though, immeasurable and mysterious, that can’t be willed or saddled or forced, that rises from the depths of our egoless souls, and that seems not to belong to but to be using us, laying claim to our bodies and brains as aliens do to their victims in horror movies. But artistic genius is a benevolent force, one that seizes only a few select souls that volunteer themselves—and even then genius may not strike. This type of genius isn’t a product of drudgery and has little to do with intellect; intellect may even be antithetical to it. But it has plenty to do with patience, courage, generosity, and faith: faith that the mystery will present itself; patience to wait as long as it takes; courage so if and when it does we may look it boldly in the eyes; and generosity to share with others what we have seen.