In this paper, I use the theory of Donald Winnicott and the fiction of Philip Roth to examine how a work of fiction provides a transitional area between writers and readers. With reference to the contributions of Thomas Ogden and Arnold Modell, I briefly review Winnicott's concepts of transitional phenomena and potential space and his views on creativity. I then examine the roots of satisfaction in creative writing and creative reading, suggesting that this satisfaction depends upon the extent of concordance in the potential space of the reader and the writer. The relationship between the writer and the reader is indirect and is mediated by the text which must accommodate a limited shared reality and shared illusion. In his fiction, Roth has created characters who are concerned with the relationship between a writer and his audience. Thus, his work is used to demonstrate the ideas proposed.