“Even if I couldn't get my early novels published, I could still write. I went into newspapers, where I got paid to write every day. If there's a better school for would-be novelists, I don't know what it is.” IfsKnowsWritingStillsWould BeSchoolNovelPaidNewspapersNovelists Author:Linwood Barclay
“Generally speaking, rural drivers are a much better behaved species than city drivers. I'm not sure whether they're intrinsically this way, or there are just fewer opportunities for them to do behave badly. You can't go around running red lights if there aren't any red lights to run.” IfsWayLightRunningOpportunityCitiesRedSpeciesBehaveNot SureDriversFewerRed Lights Author:Linwood Barclay
“My biggest complaint about drivers out in the country has tended to be that they're not in a great hurry to get where they're going. This is particularly true of old men wearing hats. If you get behind an old guy wearing a hat on a winding road, you might as well just phone ahead on your cell and tell your friends you're going to be late.” IfsMenWellsCountryMightGuyBehindsLatePhonesCellsHatsDriversOld ManComplaintsOld GuysWinding Road Author:Linwood Barclay
“Some authors, when starting a novel, imagine a place first. Others, a character starts taking shape in their head. I start with a hook, a situation, a 'what if.” IfsFirstsCharacterSituationNovelImagineShapesStartingWhat IfHook Author:Linwood Barclay
“Before I left the 'Star' last year to write books full-time, I welcomed catastrophe. It was material. Missed planes, broken pipes, dead lawns, digestive disorders, you name it, if it was something that had gone horribly wrong, it was worth banging out 600 words about.” IfsWritingYearsBookLastsNamesLeftStarsGoneMaterialsBrokenPlanesDisorderLast YearCatastrophePipeLawnsBanging Author:Linwood Barclay
