Further thoughts on uncertainty

Of course the essence of fiction is that characters are in crisis.  If nothing happens to them, even if it's just a fresh thought or a new relationship, or the eating of a madeleine, as in the case of Proust, the book is dead.  And so this restlessness

feeds the fiction.  It's not good to stand still.

I have a feeling I write best when somewhat on edge.  For a start, I sink into the book with sheer relief, rather than seeing it as a chore.  But then I write with much greater understanding of how upset or passionate or uncertain my characters are feeling.  And the sharpness of perception which comes of being in a new place, out of my comfort zone, also feeds into the prose.  I hope.

That said, a secure base again would be most welcome