I fell into the books, and left myself there for safekeeping.

I dreamed I was a single moment in a single day. A note struck and vanished. A sounding. A reckoning. Gone.

Although wherever you are going is always in front of you, there is no such thing as straight ahead.

As a writer, if you're prepared to work from your own wound, you're allowing people into the most vulnerable parts of yourself.

Know thyself,’ said Socrates. Know thyself,’ said Sappho, ‘and make sure that the Church never finds out.

It's great to win a few prizes early on. It helps a writer to get noticed and to get some sales. It can also be a pain in the arse because it gets in the way of the quiet, contemplative time every writer needs, but which is particularly important when you are a new writer finding your own voice, and pursuing the things that interest you.

Memory loss is one way of coping with damage.