It is no fun at all to have been writing a book for seven or so years, especially when you've never published anything before.
Chad HarbachMost great books have been about striving in some sense. In a sense, money is the great topic of the novel. You couldn't necessarily say that about poetry.
Chad HarbachI mean, first, almost all writers these days teach because they don't make enough money publishing to live on, to support themselves - people like Tobias Wolff, Anne Beattie, Amy Hempel, Stuart Dybek; a lot of short story writers, for one thing.
Chad HarbachThe challenge for any fiction writer is that your job involves simply sitting at a desk for a very, very long time.
Chad Harbach