Usually my starting point is something that I've seen. It might be a painting, it might be an object. But they always start from a definite sensory experience.
Russell HobanThe first thing I would say to young writers is, "Don't do it, unless you can't stand not to do it." And the second thing I would say is, "If you do do it, and get into it, the constant rule you should have in mind is to explore your material." It sounds simple, but it isn't, because people often want to get from A to B, and they don't stop to look at what is in the material.
Russell HobanAfter all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language even when they speak the same language?
Russell HobanToo-lateness, I realized, has nothing to do with age. Itโs a relation of self to the moment. Or not, depending on the person and the moment. Perhaps there even comes a time when itโs no longer too late for anything. Perhaps, even, most times are too early for most things, and most of life has to go by before itโs time for almost anything and too late for almost nothing. Nothing to lose, the present moment to gain, the integration with long-delayed Now.
Russell Hoban