Writing is not pleasure. You are dealing with memory, pain, and you have to settle down into the business of digging up parts of yourself that are better off left buried. Getting the book out into the world, even people liking it, and seeing it in bookstores, that’s not pleasure either. It all has a level of disturbance. It’s not a natural thing and it’s not good for you.

Colm Tóibín (via spectercollective)