When you want to discover what you think about an idea, what do you? Do you write an essay? Do you call up a friend? Do you sit in a chair and ponder? As a novelist, I found it interesting to discover recently that writing plays a very different role in my thought processes than it does in the thought processes of some of my other friends. Understanding the role of writing in the mind of a given author can be helpful for readers and other writers alike, as different writers will use their wri...