Why I Wrote My First Novel

With no experience to speak of, what in the world possessed me to write a novel? Identicality is about a lot of things but at its core, it hinges on issues of life and death which have frequently occupied my consciousness. Of course, my military experience gave me ample opportunity to dwell on mortality. Later in life, emotions arising from family tragedies provoked depression and reflection. And then, reluctantly at first, but soon with a deep sense of meaning, I served as head of a Jewish burial society which put me once again intimately in touch with issues of mortality.

Those ingredients, and probably others I cannot name, left me with questions that I found I could only explore by writing. Identicality is the product of that effort. It took me a year and a half to write the first draft. I found that experience exciting and fulfilling. I expected frustrating periods of writer’s block but found the manuscript writing itself, one scene leading to another. When I finished, I was convinced that I had written the Great American Novel. But an editor, who I presumed would certify my self-assessment, suggested rather strenuously that I had a lot of work to do. From there until publication, it took another five years of editorial criticism from three other editors each with a different set of criticisms. It wouldn’t have taken nearly so long if I hadn’t struggled with all their complaints. But I eventually learned to handle it and re-wrote Identicality four times, besides countless revisions.

It meant a lot to me that Phyllis, my wife, an enthusiastic reader of literary fiction, became a conscientious editor and an admirer of my writing. And it meant a great deal to receive much support from many experts in the scientific and professional fields I wrote about. And I’m deeply grateful to my beta readers, many of whom applauded my work while offering valuable criticism as well. I’m not sure I could have completed my manuscript without their generous time, effort and enthusiasm.