Joan Didion was bored. She was four or five. She was bothering her mother. She was asking for something to do.Her mother could have sent her away. Told her to stop. Told her to figure it out for herself. Instead, she went over to a drawer and pulled out a notebook. Here, she said, if you\u2019re bored \u201cthen write something. Then you can read it.\u201d The little girl was taken aback. \u201cI had just learned to read,\u201d she later explained, \u201cso this was a thrilling kind of moment. The idea that I could write ...