A tad extreme …

… Keith Gessen, Nathaniel Rich: I’m sorry I trashed your novels - Salon.com. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

… the novel for me has always been the very best thing humans can do with words, and words are the very closest we get to God, or whatever numinous presence you think governs our works and days. Thus even the last camp before the summit feels like sea level if you cannot reach the peak.

If you want to write, it's a good idea to have a fair gauge of what you can do. I am, for example, a sprinter, not a long-distance runner. I also look at writing as a craft, not a way to salvation. Maybe I'm just a philistine, but when I want to get close to God I try prayer, often dispensing with words.