Marginal Notes: Andrea Barrett

Dust and Light: On the Art of Fact in Fiction

I’m still on the research kick. That’s not going to change anytime soon, for two reasons. The first is that I’m rebuilding my writing process from the ground up, changing the way I do things, breaking old habits and making news ones, as I try to figure out my own best practices for being a full-time writer. Project management comes naturally to me—if it doesn’t you’ll sink fast in your pursuit of a terminal degree—but this is the first time I’m not juggling projects for several different jobs at once. It’s a brave new world.

This new and different phase of my career doesn’t just mean I organize my days a little differently. My whole approach to writing is undergoing a seismic shift. In the ten years I’ve been writing for publication, I’ve never had the chance to start a new novel as the Main Event in my professional life, not just a passionate side quest. I’ve also never done a novel for a publisher that hadn’t been marinating in the story drawer for years. I’m thrilled by the prospect of centering my WIP in 2026, when some of the promotional demands for Hot Wax die down. What a gift! What a luxury! But what the fuck am I even doing?