I'm a writer! If you work in an office, it dampens you. It makes you fit a routine. The effect of being a writer is not dissimilar to being long-term unemployed. And everyone knows that is not good for you.

Most of my work consisted of crossing out. Crossing out was the secret of all good writing.

I don't remember deciding to become a writer. You decide to become a dentist or a postman. For me, writing is like being gay. You finally admit that this is who you are, you come out and hope that no one runs away.

If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of people whose books haven't been wanted.

Exposure makes you famous, not just good work. Famous is being plastered everywhere.

You can do good work simply staying up all night and eating nothing but junk food, but probably not in the long term.