David Baldacci

Then fast, you know, go back seven months.

I'm sitting in my computer going, wow, I didn't know Nash was going to go in that direction.

So I, I always get this analogy about, you know, being in the moment and where you're thinking the best.

So if you're Tom Brady in practice and,

you know that nobody on the defense is going to touch you.

You know, they're just not going to touch you.

So where are you thinking the best?

Where do you see everything crisply, all 11 guys on the other side, and you're making your best decisions?

There's no pressure.

There's no stress.

If he's playing in a game where 11 guys on the other side want to kill him, that's where the synapses fire off faster.

That's where he's processing.

That's where everything slows down and he sees the field.

When I'm writing in the novel, that's where I am.

If I'm in an outline, I'm in practice.

I'm in football practice.

I can always say, I haven't figured that out yet.

I'll just kick the can down the road.

If you're writing the novel, there's no kicking the can down the road.

You have to go to another level to really dig out what needs to be written at that moment.