I Think Comedy Is So Much Easier

Sometimes You Have To Make Decisions That Necessarily Exclude The Collective. It's More Difficult To Be A Friend - Even Though They Know Each Other And They Treat Each Other Like Friends, It's More Of A Challenge For Them. It's Just Institutional Fact; The Two Characters That Are The Most Aloof Are The Ones Who Have The Most Responsibility.

Once I Had The Voice, I Knew I Wasn't Going To Fall Off The Bicycle. I Tap Right Back Into It. It Really Was Like Learning How To Ride A Bike - You Never Forget, And I Was Able To Carry It Along With Some Ease. I Never Encountered Any Stumping Problems That Left Me Not Knowing What To Do, So I Was Mostly Able To Hold My Ground. Of Course, I Should Mention That It Took Me A Long Time To Actually Acquire The Voice; There Were A Lot Of Frustrated Attempts Along The Way, Revisions To Long Sections And Versions Of The Book That I Abandoned.

Everyone Desires Relationships And Community. Most People Want To Belong To A Cohesive, Like-minded Group. It Staves Off Loneliness. It Promotes Identity. These Are Natural And Very Human Instincts.

The Whole Time I Was Writing, I Had To Fight My Normal Inclination To Be Funny, To Sort Of Patch Humor In, In Order To Convey All Of The Disruptions Of The Disease To The Family Dynamic, The Loss Of Individuality, The Impact On Professional Life, And The Sanity Of The Main Character. Of Course, That's Not To Say It Never Sneaks In; There's Some Black Comedy In There, Like When He Shows Up To Court Wearing A Bicycle Helmet And Won't Take It Off.

To Conform Is To Lose Your Soul