With much ado you fail to tell
The requisites for writing well;
But what bad writing is, you quite
Have proved by every line you write.
“Henry James wanted to write a book in the shape of an hourglass. Flaubert wanted to write a novel about nothing. What I’ve learned is that the muses’ decision to sing or not to sing is not based on the elevation of your moral purpose — they will sing or not regardless.”
John Barth