Writers grow up with permeable selves, and the very process of secrecy feels familiar.

Writers begin as readers, and words become a means of survival. At some juncture deep within family life, the child sees in written language a way to embrace her own burden. When I was young, words themselves seemed secret because I read them in my mind and no one else could hear.

Jayne Anne Phillips

Small Town Girls

—When I read this the second time, I recall my young self reading something and then looking around to see if anyone heard my thoughts, and wondering if I had read them out loud.