As I pretended to run on the treadmill this morning, I listened to this amazing podcast of Nihal Arthanayake talking with Ian McEwan.

My favorite moment was McEwan’s comparison of writing to telepathy:

“It is amazing how inking symbols onto a page represents thought, and the act of reading enables this form of telepathy whereby you transfer your thoughts into inside someone’s head. It needs no spooky magic. It’s what we did when we invented writing, an amazing device for thought transference.”

— Ian McEwan, Penguin Podcast

Highly recommend the entire interview for a glimpse into McEwan’s creative process 🙂