I think you sense the metaphorical resonance of what you're writing without analysing it too carefully. That leads you down dead ends. You stop imagining things and start writing towards these themes.

Choose your paths carefully, too many wrong turns lead to dead ends.

I think you become a writer when you stop writing for yourself or your teachers and start thinking about readers.

When you're 50 you start thinking about things you haven't thought about before. I used to think getting old was about vanity - but actually it's about losing people you love. Getting wrinkles is trivial.

I think I 'turn off' women. I've a kind of a weird personality. Women may think that I'm a mess.

One of the great pluses of being an immigrant is you get to start again in terms of your identity. You get to shed the narratives which cling to you.