Ten Affirmations for Fiction Writers for Today
I was quite struck by the headline "20 Young Writers Earn the Envy of Many Others," which is how the New York Times announced the New Yorker's "20 Under 40" list of fiction writers last night. Two things: hooray, "under 40" is young now! I mean, "being in the first or early stage of life or growth"? Our culture has delayed adolescence so extraordinarily far that 39 is young! Fine by me, selfishly. But also: envy? Oh, no! No, no. No, my lambs!

