I'm always telling myself as I write that I'm not really writing a novel; I'm just going to fool around with a character or an idea.
Writing, even though it's hard work, is really a joy when you get these characters to come alive. It's hard to trace where they come from. I can't say that I am sitting here one night at nine o'clock and that a character occurs to me. The magic for me happens at the typewriter.
