How does Annie Dillard use imagery in The Writing Life?

Imagery:

"When you write, you lay out a line of words ... a miner's pick, a woodcarver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year."

"The feeling that the work is magnificent, and the feeling that it is abominable, are both mosquitoes to be repelled, ignored, or killed, but not indulged."

"The line of words is heading out past Jupiter ... and its cumbrous dizzying orbit; it looks neither to the right nor to the left. It will be leaving the solar system soon, single minded, rapt, rushing heaven like a soul ...right now, you are flying. Right now, your job is to hold your breath."