This is the part of the job I hate.

Some stray thoughts about the part of the writing process that isn't writing at all.

I worked in book publishing for about eight years. A year and a half of that was spent at Random House, under the imprint that published an endless roster of prestigious authors, including my all-time favorite—the greatest living American writer, Cormac McCarthy. There was a story about him that became legendary within the office walls. Around the publi…