I have never thought of myself as a good writer. Anyone who wants reassurance of that should read one of my first drafts. But I'm one of the world's great rewriters.

I had been educated with free scholarships. I went to nine different universities, always at public expense, and when you have that experience, you are almost …

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.

I am right now in the middle of a difficult writing project. And it's just as difficult now as when I started. But when I get up in the morning I am really qua…

'I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.'

I think of writing as a sculptural medium. You are not building things. You are removing things, chipping away at language to reveal a living form.

The economy of a novelist is a little like that of a careful housewife who is unwilling to throw away anything that might perhaps serve its turn. Perhaps the c…