“You cannot be a good writer of serious fiction if you are not depressed.” ~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

…Except that when I’m depressed, I’m much more inclined to turn into Eeyore and spend some quality time with my pillow than to write a gripping novel. Maybe that’s just me though.

This is not to say that I don’t get depressed after trying to write a poignant, provocative piece and ending up with half a paragraph of drivel (which happens more often than I’m willing to admit). However, when I successfully write even one sentence that I know is truly good, the exhilaration is incomparable. I imagine detectives feel that way when they solve tricky cases, and Little Leaguers when they score home runs, and all people when they find enough determination to do what they love. The feeling transcends gravity.