Always Write As If You Are Talking

Because I Saw My Parents Relaxing In Armchairs And Reading And Liking It, I Thought It Was A Peaceful Grown-up Thing To Do, And I Still Think That.

I Have No Idea Whether What I Write Will Be Of The Remotest Interest To Anyone Else. Some Mornings When I Read What I Wrote The Previous Day I Think It's Fairly Entertaining; Other Times I Think It's Pure Rubbish. The Main Thing Is Not To Take Any Notice, Not To Be Elated Or Upset, Just Keep Going.

I Believed That Old People Never Laughed. I Thought They Sighed A Lot And Groaned. They Walked With Sticks, And They Didn't Like Children On Bicycles Or Roller Skates Or With Big Dogs.

I Never Wanted To Write. I Just Wrote Letters Home From A Kibbutz In Israel To Reassure My Parents That I Was Still Alive And Well Fed And Having A Great Time. They Thought These Letters Were Brilliant And Sent Them To A Newspaper. So I Became A Writer By Accident.

I Have Been Lucky Enough To Travel A Lot, Meet Great People In Many Lands. I Have Liked Almost Everyone I Met Along The Way.