misc.
Coincidence? Maybe.
One of the great mysteries of the universe is the birthday phenomenon. You know, the one that says that if you’re in a group of twenty-three people, there’s a 50% chance that two of you will have the same birthday. OK, that’s interesting. But what’s more interesting is how likely you are to discover that two [...]
How to write a brilliant anything
I was looking for the quote about letting the audience add up two plus two themselves (it turns out not to be Wilder, but Ernst Lubitsch), and I found this fantastic list. Although it’s written for screenwriters, if there’s anything on it that doesn’t apply to writing novels, I’ll eat my hat. Yes, the famous [...]
What sticks in your head?
Lately I’ve been comparing human brains to colanders, which, if you know me at all, you’ll find extremely apt. I forget almost everything. But not everything. Some things I remember almost forever. Like Alice Thomas Ellis on Desert Island Disks (Or was it Woman’s Hour? Or In The Psychiatrist’s Chair?) in about 1990, talking about [...]
How I Live Now film news
The thing I kept saying was, “We’ll be shooting this summer.” And then a minute or two ago I looked around and realized it WAS summer. Isn’t time sneaky? So it turns out we won’t be shooting this summer. Spring 2012 is the new estimate. In the meantime, casting is continuing apace and Edmond is [...]
Too much success?
Are you inundated with fan mail? Surrounded by paparazzi every time you leave the house? Unable to walk down the street without being asked for your autograph? Does your face stare back at you from billboards all over town? Nope. Me neither. Which is a shame. Because if my life were like that, this is what [...]
Everyone’s a critic.
I can’t help it. I find some of the reviews by the kids who are reading the Carnegie Medal shortlist hilarious. But only when I’m feeling strong. When I’m feeling as if my whole life is a pathetic waste of time and effort and I’ll never write another word worth reading, those kids make me [...]
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