I found college useful for a lot of other reasons. It exposed me to a great many influences I wouldn't otherwise have encountered, and gave me a lot of time with some very intelligent people whose thoughts are still with me.

If you can find collaborators whose strengths compliment your own, the result can be more than the sum of its authors.

Working within the limitations of the shared world generally made the writing easier, because I didn't have to invent any of the characters or background, which is usually the hardest part.

I was pretty much grown-up by the time I attended school in Britain - or as grown-up as I'll ever get.

I now have to find a reason to write, every single day.

How long it takes to write a book depends on its length.

Science fiction readers probably have the gene for novelty, and seem to enjoy a cascade of invention as much as a writer enjoys providing one.