But novels are never about what they are about;
that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The author may
not be aware of this till she is pretty far along with it. A novel’s whole
pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is
when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of
understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is
finding the theme.
DIANE JOHNSON
Pensioners Rants
