Blog
Things I need in order to write
NUMBER ONE: SELF-DELUSION I used to think that luck, hard work and a bit of talent was all I needed to write. But experience has shown me otherwise. Over time, I’ve come to realize I also require several other – far less noble – qualities. And as I gear up to start a new book, […]
The secret of whales
They run whale watching trips out of Boston. I’ve been dozens of times. I’ve been on trips when it seemed the ocean was full of whales as far as the eye could see and trips when all I’ve sighted was a single spout in the distance. Once or twice I’ve seen absolutely nothing at all. […]
Where do ideas come from? Part 2
Sometimes I walk the dog in Franklin Park and every time I pass this boulder it looks more and more like an egg. Like an egg with something interesting inside, just waiting to hatch out. I know it must be incredibly old. I suspect it is also terribly dangerous.
Agony Road
Last weekend in Vermont, I couldn’t enjoy myself because I was so worried about the book I’m trying to write. When work is going badly, I am never ‘writing’ (although words do appear on the page), I am only ‘trying to write’. Everyone went out and left me lying on the sofa, my mind roaming helplessly […]