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As to the number of novels I've abandoned... I shudder to think. I have thrown away five completed novels, and that's a gruesome enough figure. But not necessarily a waste of effort.

I've written 16 children's books and five unpublished novels. Some of the latter were breathtakingly bad.

I'm glad I wrote them when I did because I think if I were to write my first novel now, it would be a different book, and it may not be the book that everybody wants to read. But if I were given a red pen now, and I went back... I'd take that thing apart.

My second, third and fourth novels were mistakes, essentially.

My first book was a car crash. I tried to find all the copies and destroy them.

I wrote each book in thirty-five days flat - just to get the darned thing finished.

I have resolved to pick one novel and just read it over and over again for the rest of my life, because I cannot remember anything anymore.

Usually after finishing a novel, I have a head full of bad ideas for the next one.

Before trying a novel I wrote a couple of plays.