Writing about writing is usually a bad idea – who wants to hear about how you spent the day staring at a light switch and wondering how to get from A to B in your head? Mental. The Guardian has interviews with some name writers about how they feel about writing which are short enough to swallow without feeling nauseous, and which features a great quote from John Banville:
The novelist daily at his desk eats ashes, and if occasionally he encounters a diamond he is likely to break a tooth on it. Money is necessary to pay the dentist’s bills.
Ah John, you old pseud – your Polish literary references are wasted on the Guardian readership. Where’s the revolutionary fervour that shouts “Tear down the dentists”? Now, back to staring at light switches.