A novel is written not to be judged, but experienced.

I'm quite interested in the absolute roots of narrative, why we tell stories at all: where the monsters come from.

I am a trembling mess from hip to knee. There is a terrible heat, a looseness in my innards that makes me want to dig my fists between my thighs. It is a confusing feeling - somewhere between diarrhoea and sex - this grief that is almost genital.

The way to write a book is to actually write a book. A pen is useful, typing is also good. Keep putting words on the page.

One of the reasons I write is I like being surprised

You write a book and you finish the book. That's your job done, right? You win the Booker and you have a whole new job. You have to be the thing, right? So instead of writing the story, you somehow are the story. And that I found that sort of terrible.

Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a secret, second name as well, to keep her safe.