"Writing is like walking in a deserted street. Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie"

This quote by John Le Carre is a metaphor for the imaginative process of writing. Composing is a singular activity, similar to strolling in a deserted street. The deserted street is a metaphor for the blank page, which is empty and waiting to be filled. The dust in the street is a metaphor for the concepts and inspiration that the author has to deal with. The author takes these ideas and inspiration and molds them into something new, just like making a mud pie out of the dust in the street. Composing is an imaginative process that needs the writer to take the raw materials of concepts and motivation and turn them into something new and distinct. It is a process of transformation, just like making a mud pie out of the dust in the street.