Quote by John Phillips Marquand
When I'm writing a novel, I'm dealing with a double life. I live in the present at the same time that I live in the past with my characters. It is this that makes a novelist so eccentric and unpleasant.
Summary
This quote reflects the unique duality that novelists experience while creating their work. The author acknowledges the inherent paradox of their craft: living in both the present reality and the fictional world they are constructing. This simultaneous existence in two different realms may contribute to the eccentricities often associated with writers. Their attachment to fictional characters and immersion in the past lives of these creations create a complexity that sets them apart, resulting in a sometimes "unpleasant" demeanor.