I Was Always Influenced By

A Novel, In The End, Is A Container, A Shape Which You Are Trying To Pour Your Story Into.

When You Are Young You Don't Always Realise How Full Of Doubts Everybody Is.

However, The Difficulties And Pleasures Of The Writing Itself Are Similar For A Novel With A Historical Setting And A Novel With A Contemporary Setting, As Far As I'm Concerned.

Writing Poetry Makes You Intensely Conscious Of How Words Sound, Both Aloud And Inside The Head Of The Reader. You Learn The Weight Of Words And How They Sound To The Ear.

Poets Go Through A Very Tough Apprenticeship In The Use Of Words.