The Grit and the Pearl

Where do works of art come from? One thing is certain, you can't force them. In 8 1/2, Guido's creativity only starts working after he shrugs off the monstrous sci-fi project (that skeletal tower) that he's been trying to strong-arm into existence. The last novel I wrote began with a single image- a group of men moving a huge cannon along a country road. I didn't know who they were or what it meant, but I gave the image my attention and bit by bit a whole world coalesced around it.