I Like Beryl Bainbridge A Great Deal,

A New Car Is Not Going To Change Your Life.

Kids Are Naturally Inventive And Curious And Creative, But Most Adults Have Had That Beaten Out Of Them. Writing Is A Form Of Play; You Have To Get Rid Of All Those Internal Censors That We Adults Have, The Things That Say, 'don't Go There, That's Not Allowed.

I Started Writing 'brick Lane' When My Children Were Two Years And Five Months Old. We Were On Holiday In The North Of England When I Was Overtaken By A Compulsion To Start Writing.

Sometimes I Look Back And I Am Shocked. Everyday Of My Life I Have Prepared For Success, Worked For It, Waited For It, And You Don't Notice How The Days Pass Until Nearly A Lifetime Is Finished. Then It Hits You--the Thing You Have Been Waiting For Has Already Gone By. And It Was Going In The Other Direction. It's Like I've Been Waiting On The Wrong Side Of The Road For A Bus That Was Already Full." P. 265

I Was Always An Outsider, Always Standing Outside, Observing And Trying To Figure Things Out. Which Is Exactly What You Need To Do As A Writer, I Suppose.