It would have a cast of thousands, it would be multicultural, it would feature 600 adjectives for snow. The reason there isn't a Moby Dick is that if a Canadian did a Moby Dick, it would be done from the point of view of the whale. I'm wanting to read novels that jump across national boundaries, ethnic boundaries, racial boundaries. In Canada there is no pay. If you want success, or three squares per day, write about sitting in a New York bar and thinking about Regina or Ottawa.
All relationships seem to be brutal, miserable or at best mundane.
I tell them a lot of post-dated cheques. Jack McClelland told me early in the game not to read reviews - just to measure them. By mistake a girl is sent them. There are only dull writers. He is always watching.