Where do you get your ideas from?
The real problem is stopping the ideas getting me. Every time I talk to a friend or open a newspaper or watch TV or sit in a bar or meet someone new, things always strikes me as curious and wanting to be explored.
How do you actually work?
I sit down at the computer and put words on the screen. Sometimes 9 - 5, sometimes 10 - 6, sometimes 4 - 11, sometimes less, sometimes more. Sometimes with the radio on, sometimes not. Sometimes easily, sometimes with difficulty. I do find that writing is easier if you know you are going to get paid for it.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
When I was about 9. The teacher told us to write an essay and I found I could do this, and it was fun. My experiences with maths and gymnastics had been much less rewarding.
How do I go about getting a book published?
Firstly, write a good book - where good means inspired, relevant to the interests of a lot of people right now, and showing at least a mastery of, and preferably a gift for, language. (more about this in Bestseller.) If your book is very good, writing only part of it may be enough to start. Then write an outline of the book, not more than two pages, A4, double spaced, font 12 or 14 point, plus a one-page (A4, single spaced) about yourself as a publisher's marketing director would see you. Send this to one or more literary agents. Ask for feedback and take advice. Be persistent.
