Why Does Place Matter?

Although, Annie Dillard and Scott Sanders both discuss the importance of "escaping" from the world while composing a novel; Annie Dillard has the realization that her total disconnection from the world had caused her writing to become, "too obscure, too symbolic, too intellectual" (pg 8). Sanders discusses how a writer can still be a good writer and have distractions, such as a wife or a family, as long as the writer is able to escape to his/her own personal retreat when it comes time to write. Dillard had tried that. She and husband being both writers spent time together when they were finished writing for the day and would retreat to separate cabins to write. She realized, however, that she was still unhappy. Place may be important to a writer in the fact that it is in that isolated place where he/she can really process their thoughts, ideas and create great masterpieces. There they can write undistributed in the peace of their own minds. Without the distractions of the world writers can in their isolated place take the time to revisit and change their work multiple times to create the best they can. However, it may also be important for the writer to stay fully connected in the world. Both so they can relate to the real people in their writings and so they can personally stay sane. For how would they be expected to create realistic characters when they have not had personal relationships outside their isolated lives.