“Would-be novelists need to bring equal parts arrogance and ignorance to the task before them. The arrogance is almost self-explanatory. Walk into any bookstore or library, calculate how many lifetimes the average person would need to read all the fiction contained therein. To think that one has anything to contribute, to any genre or tradition, takes genuine hubris.” ThinkingNeedsWritingPersonsSelfWould BeWalksFictionIgnoranceEqualTraditionTasksLifetimeLibraryAverageGenuineGenreNovelistsArroganceBookstoresAverage PersonHubris Author:Laura Lippman
“I discovered fantasy and science fiction when I was about 10, and read nothing else for about three years. I ran out of all the books that there were to read in the library. I was keen on reading stuff that took me to other places.” YearsBookThreeReadingStuffFictionFantasyScience FictionLibraryRanThree Years Author:Terry Pratchett
“We never had books at home, but my dad, seeing how keen I was to read, took me to Islington Library when I was about eight and we pulled out two - a Biggles and a science fiction novel. I never got the ace fighter pilot but fell in love with all things to do with the future and space. Isaac Asimov soon became my guiding star.” TwoBookHomeStarsSpaceFictionNovelSeeingDadAll ThingsScience FictionLibraryMy DadEightFighterThings To DoPilotsIsaacAcesFighter PilotGuiding StarsFiction Novels Author:Gary Kemp
“For the best part of my childhood I visited the local library three or four times a week, hunching in the stacks on a foam rubber stool and devouring children's fiction, classics, salacious thrillers, horror and sci-fi, books about cinema and origami and natural history, to the point where my parents encouraged me to read a little less.” ChildrenLittlesBookThreeParentNaturalFictionFourWeekChildhoodHorrorLibraryLocalsCinemaSci FiThrillersRubberFoamStoolsNatural HistoryDevouringOrigami Author:David Nicholls
“Being a fan of science fiction, I collect a lot of science fiction art work and so if you go to my house there's like a library and you just geek out on science fiction material. A lot of the colony worlds specifically are built as a melting pot of different societies, because the world is at a point where there are only two zones that are left inhabitable.” IfsWorldArtTwoDifferentHouseLeftFictionFansMaterialsBuiltScience FictionLibraryZonePotGeekMeltingColonyMelting Pot Author:Len Wiseman
“I usually get up not before 9. I have a huge library - I'm a big fan of Scandinavian crime fiction - so I'll usually take a book and go off to one of my favorite bistros for a cappuccino or espresso or maybe I'll have some lovely smoked salmon for breakfast.” BookBigsFictionFansCrimeHugeLibraryMy FavoriteLovelyGet UpBreakfastCrime FictionSalmonEspressoScandinaviansScandinaviaCappuccinoBistroSmoked Salmon Author:Anthony Geary
“I was a very keen reader of science fiction, and during the time I was going to libraries, it was good, written by people who knew their science.” PeopleFictionWrittenReaderScience FictionLibrary Author:Terry Pratchett
“For me, the historical and genealogical library is the one I use. I'm working on, I'll say, it's a time travel novel. I haven't written very much of it. That's the dirty secret of the Cullman center: The writers don't write their fiction there, they just do their research.” WritingUseSecretFictionNovelWrittenHavensResearchHistoricalLibraryDirtyTime TravelDirty Secrets Author:Andrew Sean Greer