Art & Creativity Quote by Joanna Trollope

The charm here is in the apology that refuses to apologize. Trollope offers just enough to spark curiosity - a new book, already a third written - then slams the door with a breezy “sorry,” as if secrecy were a small social faux pas rather than a deliberate line she’s drawing. It’s an old writer’s trick: reveal process without revealing product, feeding the reader’s appetite while protecting the work’s fragile early state.

The superstition functions as both shield and storytelling. On the surface, it’s the familiar creative belief that speaking a project aloud “jinxes” it. Underneath, it’s a canny way to manage expectations in an era that treats art like content-in-progress and authors like brands obliged to provide constant updates. Trollope isn’t just guarding plot details; she’s defending the private space where a novel can be clumsy, uncertain, and not yet performable. Calling it superstition softens what could read as refusal. It’s humorous, almost self-mocking, but it also asserts authority: the book will be public when it’s ready.

There’s also a quiet correction of the interview economy embedded in that dash. The punctuation mimics a quick pivot away from the intrusive question, a conversational sidestep that keeps her personable while staying firmly in control. Coming from a novelist long associated with clear-eyed social observation, the line doubles as commentary on our hunger to know everything too soon. The mystique isn’t preciousness; it’s craft protection.