I Cannot Start A Story

My Donors Have Always Tended To Do Much Better Than Expected.

I Don't Really Like To Work With Literary Allusions Very Much. I Never Want To Be In A Position Where I'm Saying, "you've Got To Read A Lot Of Other Stuff" Or "you've Got To Have Had A Good Education In Literature To Fully Appreciate What I'm Doing."

I Still Have A Suspicion Of Charity And Think The State Has A Role To Play In Many Areas. And Although For Most Of The Years Since I Have Been A Rather Privileged Writer, I Identify More Closely Than Perhaps I Should With Those Social Workers. Had I Not Become A Writer That Would Have Been Me. Lots Of Our Friends Are Still In That World And I Do Feel Part Of That Generation Of People Who Were Rather Idealistic In The 70s And Became Disillusioned In The 80s. Not Just About Social Services Issues, But The World.

I Cannot Start A Story Or Chapter Without Knowing How It Ends. ... Of Course, It Rarely Ends That Way.

If You Were A Boy And A Girl And You Were In Love With Each Other, Really, Properly In Love, And If You Could Show It, Then The People Who Run Hailsham, They Sorted It Out For You. They Sorted It Out So You Could Have A Few Years Together Before You Began Your Donations.