You Wouldn't Think You Could Kill An

I Still Think Most Writers Are Just Kids Who Refuse To Grow Up. We're Still Playing Imaginary Games, With Our Imaginary Friends.

I Don't Think I Have One Particular Favourite Writer. I Have Many Whose Works I Will Always Buy Or Reread - Muriel Spark, Anthony Powell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ruth Rendell, James Ellroy, William Mcilvanney, Kate Atkinson, John Burnside, Louise Welsh, Iain Banks.

I Used To Think That: Whenever I Heard That Someone Had Taken 10 Years To Write A Novel, I'd Think It Must Be A Big, Serious Book. Now I Think, 'no - It Took You One Year To Write, And Nine Years To Sit Around Eating Kit Kats.

It Seemed To Him A Very Edinburgh Thing. Welcoming, But Not Very.

You Need A Great Idea, But Then You've Got To Carry It Through. If You Get It Right, You're Going To Be A Critical Success. But Not Everyone Who Works Hard Gets It Right, Or Has The Success They Deserve: There's An Element Of Luck.