Taking it slow

"In recent years a highly visible group of Great American Novels have emerged from 10, 12, and even over 20-year gestation periods. Edward P Jones, Junot Diaz and Jeffrey Eugenides all took 11 years to write their Pulitzer prize-winning novels -a blink, really, when compared to Shirley Hazzard and Marilynne Robinson's 23-year gaps preceding The Great Fire and Gilead respectively...."

As someone halfway through his third year on a novel, I find this a little embarrassing. I thought I was taking my time: now I realise I've been speeding.