All that having been said, I like your theory of narrative, and it does reflect my experience in terms of writing. When I first started writing my novel (the first three chapters of which may already be sitting on your desk!) I did not expect it to have any significant amount of Engagement. I started writing it in college, and my professors kept telling me that they wanted to see something that dealt with Big Issues–a novel that was more Jewish, or more philosophical, or, it seemed to me, less commercial. I was very resistant to the idea, because I thought they were asking for a polemic and I just wanted to write fantasy. But the more I wrote, the more my novel started to engage with the real world, from religion to love–accidentally! That was a major part of my growth as a writer: becoming engaged (with or without a capital E).

Okay, enough late-night/early-morning commentary on two-year-old blog posts. Good morning, and don’t forget to read my MS!