“You must be able to write. You must have a sense of form, of pattern, of design. You must have a respect for and a mastery over words.”

“We do not wait for inspiration. We work because we've jolly well got to. But when all is said and done, we toil at this particular job because it's turned out to be our particular job, and in a weird sort of way I suppose we may be said to like it.”

“Why do you want to become an author? I will accept only one answer. If it is because you feel you can write better than you can do anything else then go ahead and do it without frills and flourishes. Stick to your present job and write in your spare time: but do it as if it is a whole time job.”

“You must be able to write. You must have a sense of form, of pattern, of design. You must have a respect for and a mastery over words.”