"I can't write without a reader. It's precisely like a kiss - you can't do it alone"

In this quote, John Cheever is revealing the importance of having a reader when composing. He compares it to a kiss, stating that much like a kiss can not be done alone, writing likewise requires a reader to totally come to life. This highlights the concept that writing is a form of interaction and without somebody to get and interpret the words, it loses its function. Cheever is stressing the connection in between the writer and the reader, and how they both play a crucial function in the creation and understanding of a piece of composing. Without a reader, composing is incomplete and lacks its real effect.