Sebastian Junger: Why We Write

“I do this sort of split thing when I’m writing. I’m very aware that I’m writing for readers, and I do everything I can to engage them, to make my writing accessible and compelling.

At the same time, I try to be completely disinterested in what I think people will like. I’m writing for myself. I want to learn about the world, and writing is the way I do it.  You can’t know people’s tastes anyway. No one could have predicted Perfect Storm would be a hit. A fishing boat that sinks in a storm? The publishers didn’t know. Readers don’t know. Nobody knows.”