Everyone has learning difficulties, because learning to speak French or understanding relativity is difficult.

I like having my back pressed against a wall and being made to work harder so I don't embarrass myself.

I don't remember deciding to become a writer. You decide to become a dentist or a postman. For me, writing is like being gay. You finally admit that this is who you are, you come out and hope that no one runs away.

I knew there was a story; once you find a dog with a fork through it, you know there's a story there.

... why I like timetables, because they make sure I don't get lost in time.

I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in the middle, as there is, and construct the whole thing like a bit of a roller coaster ride...

I went to boarding school and then I went to Oxford, and I know how easy it is for certain groups of people to become wholly insulated from ordinary life.