I guess all fiction writing could be termed pretentious, in that it is, actually, make believe.

JB

that's just the nature of a discussion about abstract concepts, especially in relation to any form of art

I think you're right, Alex. But maybe it's better to mumble inarticulately or make misleadingly flippant remarks?!

JB - mmm, maybe you have a point. Different kind of pretending though. But I appreciate the thought - gives me a loophole.

Gettin' back to the start of the thread - almost 80 posts ago - I teach Professional Writing. We cover a lot of the so-called 'orthodoxy' of writing but I'm aware that many of my students find their own ways of working. These ways work for them and I can't always spot their approaches from reading their work. Having taught a range of methods I can't possibly use them all myself and a lot of what I do is more from having limited time and a lot of work than following any foolproof method of working. Oh yeah, and I'm a well educated middle class kid from a hard working class area so the above few posts had me chuckling. It matters less where you came from than how you're going to get to your destination. Ken Kesey had it right, you don't lead by pointing the way, you lead by going someplace and making the case for others to join you.