George Saunders continues his reflections on multiple personality in a 2019 Paris Review “The Art of Fiction” interview

“But here’s what I find interesting. There’s something that happens in the moment of creation of a good sentence, or a good swath of sentences, that feels like the dropping away of self. Somebody else shows up and that person is better than the normal everyday you. I’m guessing that the various approaches to writing are ultimately all about getting to that moment” (1, p. 196).

“That’s one way of looking at craft—we develop a storytelling style that accommodates the different people who exist inside us” (1, p. 201).

“So, to me, there’s something really interesting about this notion that there is a below-the-surface part of the mind participating in the writing of a story, and that what we call “process” is about getting out of the way of that part of the mind, so it can assert itself more freely” (1, p. 205).

“And then that wise little voice in my head asked, “Well, is it getting better? If so, then yes. It may not be normal, per se, but obviously it’s what you have to do” (1, p. 210).

1. Michael O’Connell (Editor). Conversations with George Saunders. Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, 2022.