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A Great Novel

 I have a few friends with literary aspirations, and the subject of writing is tricky. It's useful, because "shoptalk" can be fun. At the same time, there is always competitiveness and ego. (The writer Simon Rich captures the silliness of ego in "The Baby," a story about a novelist who discovers that his little fetus has enviable storytelling talent. The actual baby is the published novelist, not the emotionally mature fetus.)

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