How writers generate ideas

One of the most common questions I'm asked whenever I give a talk is "How do you generate ideas?" The honest answer is: I don't. Oh, I've tried. Believe me, I have. I've sat at the computer all morning and…

“Death At Intervals” by Jose Saramago

I love the premise of this book. One day, in a particular country, people stop dying. They still get old, get sick, get mangled in car accidents, etc., but they can’t die. At first this news is greeted with elation.…

J.D. Salinger and phonies

The other day, I picked up a copy of The Times because of the news of J.D. Salinger’s death on the cover. I read about Catcher in the Rye and its skewering of “phonies”, and how Salinger retreated to his…